Platax teira (Forsskål 1775)

Ocular band of adult specimens uniformly dark (Ref. 5327). Yellowish silvery or dusky, with a black (or dusky) bar through eye and another dark bar from dorsal-fin origin across rear edge of operculum and pectoral-fin base to belly, where it usually encloses a black blotch, with another smaller black vertical streak often present at origin of anal fin. Median fins dusky yellow, with black margins posteriorly. Pelvic fins yellow, dusky yellow or blackish. Body orbicular and strongly compressed, its depth more than twice length of head and 0.9 to 1.2 times SL. Head length 2.7 to 3.5 times in SL. Large adults (above 35 cm standard length) with bony hump from top of head to interorbital region, the front head profile almost vertical. Interorbital width 42 to 50% head length. Jaws with bands of slender, flattened, tricuspid teeth, the middle cusp slightly longer than lateral cusps. Vomer with a few teeth, but none on palatines. Five pores on each side of lower jaw. Preopercle smooth. Opercle without spines (Ref 43039).

Amphidromous. Refers to fishes that regularly migrate between freshwater and the sea (in both directions), but not for the purpose of breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Sub-division of diadromous. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.Characteristic elements in amphidromy are: reproduction in fresh water, passage to sea by newly hatched larvae, a period of feeding and growing at sea usually a few months long, return to fresh water of well-grown juveniles, a further period of feeding and growing in fresh water, followed by reproduction there (Ref. 82692).

Dorsal spines (total): 5 - 6; Dorsal soft rays (total): 28 - 37; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 22 - 28

Large adults live in sheltered bays as well as deep offshore. Commonly found around shipwrecks in small groups and occasionally forms large schools. Small juveniles with floating debris and form aggregations as they find each other. They can be pelagic to large sizes and form schools under large Sargassum rafts that usually form after the wet season (Ref. 48637). Juveniles inhabit shallow protected inner reefs while adults occur in lagoon and seaward reefs to a depth of 20 m or more (Ref. 1602). Active carnivore (Ref. 42247). Young fish are usually seen hovering under coral heads or in the shadows of boat moorings (Ref. 54301). Also Ref. 58652, 93199.

Large adults live in sheltered bays as well as deep offshore. Commonly found around shipwrecks in small groups and occasionally forms large schools. Small juveniles with floating debris and form aggregations as they find each other. They can be pelagic to large sizes and form schools under large Sargassum rafts that usually form after the wet season (Ref. 48637). Juveniles inhabit shallow protected inner reefs while adults occur in lagoon and seaward reefs to a depth of 20 m or more. Edible but not esteemed (Ref. 12484). Not an important game fish (Ref. 12484).

fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial; price category: low; price reliability: questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this genus