Platax orbicularis (Forsskål in Niebuhr 1775)

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 296

Platax orbicularis (Forsskål in Niebuhr 1775) —Round batfish

Status at New Ireland. First recorded from Carteret Harbour , New Ireland as Platax vespertilio by Peters (1877: 836). Specimens observed at Kavieng fish market in 2004–2005 by Jeff Kinch during CFMDP Survey , and by Barry C. Russell on 14 June 2014. A specimen photographed at Lissenung Island by Dietmar Amon on 22 Apr. 2013, another at St. KVG22 (northeast of Lemus Island , Kavieng District ) by Serge Andréfouët on 21 Aug. 2014; a video of a specimen taken off Nubilus Island, off southeastern New Hanover, at 3–32 m depth, St. KR 88, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell).

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2, 3.—General distribution: Red Sea, East and South Africa, Madagascar and western Mascarenes east to Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, New Caledonia, and Tonga. Introduced into West Atlantic waters off Florida, USA. Found in shallow protected coastal waters to deep, somewhat silty habitats; juveniles occur singly or in small groups among inner sheltered lagoons while adults move out to open waters over sandy areas of deep lagoons, channels, and seaward coral reefs, 1–30 m depth. Transitional water and marine.