Banded Archerfish

Toxotes jaculatrix 

Habitat & Distribution : Mangrove forests and estuaries of the Indo-Pacific

Diet : Insects and small crustaceans

Size : 20-30 cm

Lifespan: 3 - 10 years

Description

They are silvery, deep-bodied fish with a flattened, compressed shape and a pointed head featuring large, forward-set, binocular-vision eyes. They are characterized by 4–6 distinctive, wedge-shaped black bands or spots that extend onto the dorsal fin. 

Behavior

With its eyes able to see straight ahead, the archerfish can target prey above the water, then fire a jet of water by lifting its tongue to the roof of its mouth, forming a pressurized tube like a pistol cartridge. Its shots can typically reach a distance of 1.5 meters. 

Reproduction

They reproduce via broadcast spawning, releasing thousands of eggs and sperm into the water column, usually during the wet season, often in brackish mangrove estuaries. Females can lay between 3,000 and 150,000 eggs, which float on the surface and hatch quickly within 12 to 24 hours. 

Communication & Perception

They are known to use visual social cues to interact, learn, and maintain social structures in their competitive environments. 

Predator(s)

Larger predatory fish, birds, crocodiles