Red Lipped Batfish - Profile, Diet, Features, Traits, Habitat

(Last Updated On: April 13, 2021)

Red lipped batfish or the Galapagos batfish, scientific name Ogcocephalus darwini is an unusual type of fish found in the Galাpagos Islands and 3 to 76 cm (10 to 249 ft) deep in Peru, with red-lipped batfish, which is found near the island of Cocos, off the coast of Costa Rica’s the Pacific Ocean. This fish is mainly known for its bright red lips. Batfish are not good swimmers.

Rosy-lipped batfish uses their highly adapted pectorals, pelvis, and pelvic wings to “walk” to the bottom of the ocean. When the red lipped batfish reaches maturity, its dorsal fin becomes a single spine-like projection (thought to be tempting initially for prey).

Diet

The red-lipped batfish species is a pcvivore / invertevor, mainly feeding shrimp, crabs, worms, and other small fish and small electronic food, including mollusks.

Body

The red-lipped batfish has a light brown color and a white color on the back with a grayish color on the bottom. At the top of the red-lipped batfish, there is usually a dark brown stripe that starts from the head and goes back to the tail.

The red-lipped batfish’s snout and horn are of a brownish color. By the name of the fish, the batfish has bright, almost fluorescent, red lips.

The squamination of red lipped batfish walking batfish with a relatively smooth texture is similar to that of shagreen. The bucklers are secreted by a layer of fine spinules.

Compared with Porteus, the red-lipped batfish have a shorter disc circumference, whereas the higher fibers have the pectoral fin ray count.

Regarding the number of fibers along with the lateral likes, there are usually four to nine subcircular scales on the cheeks, six to nine. The red-lipped batfish has about 19-20 spines.

The red-lipped batfish reaches up to 40 cm in length.

It has an esca on top of its elysium. Esca emits a bright light and as these fish live in deep water, the light attracts other fish to the location of the red lipped batfish. Esca tempts the prey of the barfish, which then feeds on the tiny creatures that fall into its trap.

Red-lipped batfish have extremely bright red lips, which allow people to distinguish them from other red lipped batfish.

Marine biologists believe that the bright red lips of red-lipped batfish can be used to increase species recognition while spanning.

Habitat

The red-lipped batfish will be found 3 to 76 meters (10 to 249 feet) deep in the Pacific Ocean around the Galapagos Islands and outside Peru.

Earlier, red lipped batfish was notable that a few specimens of red-lipped batfish were found in California fishing nets, but all these types of sightings are very rare and maybe another type of batfish.

These are inhabited below, so they are usually found in the sand or the bottom of the ocean. Although considered as a form of shallow water, they occasionally come to the surface through deep water and attach themselves to the edges of the reef up to 120 m deep.

Hunting animals

There is no direct threat to the red lipped batfish. However, sea temperatures rise and coral bleaching can be a threat, as it changes the natural habitat and may reduce the availability of natural food sources.

SeaFish