Species Fact Profile: Banded Archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix)

                                                           Banded Archerfish

Toxotes jaculatrix (Pallas, 1767)

Range: Indo-Pacific Region, from India through Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and the Solomon Islands

Habitat: River Mouths, Estuaries - move between fresh, salt, and brackish water

Diet: Insects, Small Crustaceans, Fish, some aquatic plants

Social Grouping: Small Schools

Reproduction:  Mature at 1-2 years.  Breeding may be triggered by rains.  Females release 20,000 - 150,000 eggs at a time for males to fertilize externally.  No parental care provided.  It has been suggested that they go into saltwater to breed, but this has not been confirmed

Lifespan: 2 Years

Conservation Status: IUCN  Least Concern

• Grow up to 30 centimeters long, but usually about 20 centimeters.  Spade-shaped, laterally-compressed body with a rounded dorsal fin towards rear
• Silver scales with a slight gold tint, tinged green or brown on the back, with four to six distinctive black markings (roughly triangular in shape) along its sides
• Catch prey outside of the water, such as insect perched on a nearby overhanging leaf, by drawing water into their mouths and spitting it at the target, knocking it into the water.  This is done by raising the fish's tongue against the roof of the mouth, forming a tube through with highly pressurived water can be shot.  A large fish can shoot an accurate stream of water 2-3 meters away.  This appears to be a learned behavior, with fish getting better to practice.
• In the presence of other archerfish, the fish sometimes take longer to shoot and only do so from a much closer range, apparently to prevent other fish from stealing their catches.  Conversely, young fish will sometimes gather together to shoot at insects, increasing the odds that one of them will succeed in hitting it.  They will also jump out of water to grab overhead prey
• Large, forward-facing eyes (set close together due to thin body) give excellent binocular vision.  Have the ability to compensate for refraction of light on the surface of the water to more accurately aim their streams at their targets
• Toxotes is from the Greek for "archer," jaculatrix is from the English "jaculate", as in "to throw or cast."  Both parts of the scientific name, as well as the common name, refer to the hunting strategy used by this species
• Relatively common.  Sometimes fished commercially or collected for the aquarium trade.  Main long-term threat to survival is habitat loss (destruction of mangroves) and pollution