Toxotes chatareus

Spotted archer fish ( Toxotes chatareus )

The Spotted archer fish ( Toxotes chatareus ) is a brackish water fish which is found in South Asia and Oceania of Sri Lanka and India to New Guinea and northern Australia.

Features

It reaches a maximum length of 40 cm, but usually remains at a length of 25 cm, and is the ordinary archer fish ( T. jaculatrix ) are very similar. In contrast to this, he has but five Dorsal spines (four in T. jaculatrix ) different and on the upper half of the body sides, a number of large, dark spots. Juveniles of both species look alike and have a transverse bands drawing. With age, the transverse bands are reduced in T. chatareus to stains and between them appear smaller spots.

• Fins formula: Dorsal V-VI/12-13, Anal III/15-17, Ventral I / 5
• Dandruff formula: MLR 33-34, QR 5/11-13.

Ecology

The Spotted archer fish lives mainly in brackish mangrove swamps and estuaries, but also goes into freshwater zones. Usually it holds on under overhanging riparian vegetation and feeds on small fish, crustaceans and insects. The food is always added to or near the water surface. He can spit insects up to a distance of 1.5 m by a jet of water from her seat. The fish are very fertile, a female lays 20000-150000 eggs, which have a diameter of 0.4 mm. They breed during the rainy season continues both in brackish water than in fresh water.

Swell

• Günther Sterba: freshwater fish in the world. Urania - Verlag, 1990, ISBN 3-332-00109-4