The red-lipped batfish (Ogcocepphalus darwini) is an unusual looking fish from the Galapagos Islands. It belongs to the family Ogcocephalidae, whose members are commonly referred to as batfish.
Red-lipped batfish resemble and are closely related to rosy-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus porrectus), which are found near Cocos Island off the coast of Costa Rica. Both fish species look and behave very similarly to one another.
There is another group of fish that are commonly referred to as batfish, but they belong to the family Ephippidae and not the family Ogcocephalidae. The name “batfish” is derived from their appearance – they are fish that are said to resemble bats.
All fish known as batfish have compressed bodies. Batfish from the family Ephippidae usually have elongated fins and laterally compressed bodies. In contrast, batfish from the family Ogcocephalidae, which the red-lipped batfish belongs to, tend to have horizontally compressed bodies and don’t have elongated fins.
Although some batfish species are kept in the home aquarium, in general you won’t encounter the red-lipped batfish in the aquarium hobby. Most batfish species that are kept in the home aquarium are from the family Ephippidae.