Orbiculate Batfish

The orbicular batfish was first formally described as Chaetodon orbicularis by the Swedish-speaking Finnish explorer, orientalist, naturalist Peter Forsskål with its type locality given as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. This species is classified within the genus Platax which belongs to the family Ephippidae in the order Moroniformes. The specific name orbicularis means "circular" or "disc-like", a reference to the round body.

Orbicular batfish are native to the Indo-Pacific from eastern Africa from South Africa, Madagascar, the Mascarenes and Seychelles, north into the Red Sea east through the Persian Gulf, and on into Micronesia as far as the Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern Japan and south to northern Australia. In Australia they are found at the Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea as well as at Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. On the mainland they occur from Shark Bay in Western Australia around the northern tropical coast and south on the east coast almost to Sydney. They are found in shallow, protected coastal waters including mangroves, coral reefs and deeper areas with silt substrates. The juveniles typically hide among in mangroves and in protected lagoons, frequently amongst flotsam where they mimic dead leaves floating in the water column.

Orbicular batfish have been recorded in the Western Atlantic off southern Florida, most likely as a result of deliberate release from aquariums.

Orbicular batfish adults may be found singly, in small schools, or occasionally in large aggregations. Juveniles are either solitary or in small groups. They lay pelagic eggs and females attain sexual maturity at a length of around . They are omnivorous, feeding on algae, small fishes and invertebrates.

The orbicular batfish is mainly caught in subsistence and small scale commercial fisheries using handlines and nets. In French Polynesia, particularly Tahiti, this species is being increasingly used in fish farms to provide food. The juveniles are popular in the aquarium trade with most of the fish in the trade originating in Indonesia and the Philippines.