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Beche De Mer
(Sea Cucumber - Trepang)

Family: Ephippidae (Spadefishes, batfishes and scats). The Humped Batfish (Platax batavianus) is a tropical batfish species belonging to the ‘Batfishes’ family Ephippidae and it is also commonly referred to as the Batavia Spadefish.

A common fish that inhabits continental reefs, coastal bays, lagoons, Reef external slope. Adults usually moderately deep on open substrates with sparse reef or coral heads. A solitary species, but occasionally in pairs or small groups. Small juveniles also in deep water and the zebra-pattern serves well as camouflage when sheltering with crinoids. Juveniles in shore waters; adults in deeper water. It is known to occur in the warm waters of the Indonesian region from the Malay Peninsula to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.

The body is coloured silver with yellow and the most obvious identification feature of this batfish species is the hump above the mouth in line with the eye. It is generally seen to be solitary and inhabitats inshore reefs from depths of 50 to 40 metres. The Humped Batfish (Platax batavianus) grows to a amximum length of approximately 50cm.

Description: Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 28 - 31; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 19 - 23. Adults (above 40 cm) silvery, with dark bar through eye and another (faint) bar just behind head. Fins dusky. Small juveniles black, vertical white lines on body and fins. Subadults brown, with black bar from nape, over eye to chest and another black bar from dorsal-fin origin, over pectoral fins to pelvic fins, pectoral and pelvic fins dark brown or black. Body orbicular and strongly compressed, its depth more than twice length of head and 1.1 to 1.9 times in SL. Snout profile of large adults (above 40 cm) concave, with prominent bony swelling between eyes. Jaws with bands of slender, flattened, tricuspid teeth, the middle cusp 3 to 4 times longer than lateral cusps. Vomer with a band of strong teeth, no teeth on palatines. Five pores on each side of lower jaw. Preopercle smooth. Opercle without spines

Very average eating fish.

Did you know? Batfish, when fully grown their depth equals their length.