The longfinned batfish has a narrow body and steep forehead, in profile appearing as a large disc. It is usually silver-brown with two black bands; one through the eye, the other through its pectoral fin.
Like several other species of fish the batfish is adapted to survive in numerous environments and can change colour, rapidly shifting between a pale silver to a dark brown, and back when threatened.
The longfinned batfish lives in a variety of environments, from sheltered bays to deep offshore. It has a tendency to form shoals around objects of interest, particularly shipwrecks. Juvenile batfish typically follow drifting debris in the open ocean, but will form groups as they encounter others of the same species.
Found along our eastern coast, the batfish feeds on tiny zooplankton, invertebrates and seaweed.