Ephippus orbis

Ephippus orbis, commonly known as the orbfish or orbiculate spadefish, is a species of marine fish in the family Ephippidae native to the shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific region.

Distribution and habitat

Native to the Indo-West Pacific region, Ephippus orbis can be found in the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, and the western Pacific Ocean.
Ephippus orbis inhabits shallow coastal waters and estuaries at depths of and is sometimes associated with coral reefs.

Ephippus orbis is a silvery blue-green fish with a compressed, orbicular body and dark fins, growing up to total length. The body may be uniform in colour or marked with four to five dark, narrow bars. The snout is short and steep with a small mouth. The dorsal fin has nine to ten spines and nineteen to twenty rays, with deep indentations in the fin membrane between each spine and where the spines meet the soft rays. The anal fin has three spines and fourteen to seventeen rays, and each pectoral fin has nineteen to twenty rays.

Ephippus orbis is known to feed on benthic fish and invertebrates.