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| fishes text index | photo index |
| Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > fishes > Family Toxotidae |
| Spotted
archerfish Toxotes chatareus Family Toxotidae updated Aug 08 Where seen? It is not seen as often as Banded archerfishes (Toxotes jaculatrix), but sometimes seen together with these. Under jetties, bridges in streams near mangroves. Features: To about 20cm long. Smaller black spots between the broad black bands. Sometimes also called the Seven-spot archerfish. From above, their eyes have a golden sheen. Banded archerfishes lack these black spots and their eyes don't have the golden sheen. More about the archerfishes' infamous ability to shoot down insects. What does it eat? The Spotted archerfish feeds on floating titbits including insects and vegetation, as well as crustaceans and small fishes. Spotted babies: A female Spotted archerfish can produce lots of floating eggs, 20,000-150,000 of them. Human uses: Sometimes taken by anglers and considered good eating. Sold fresh in markets. Also taken for the live aquarium trade. Status and threats: Our archerfishes are not listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. However, like other creatures of the intertidal zone, they are affected by human activities such as reclamation and pollution. Over-collection can also affect local populations. |
 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Feb 05 |
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 Changi Jetty, Dec 09 |
Links
References
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Periplus Editions. 292 pp.|
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