Where is the animal to be found?
- The banded archerfish is found in Asia and Oceania, from India in the east to the Philippines, and south to Indonesia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
- It lives mainly in the brackish waters of mangroves, but can also venture into rivers and small streams. It is also associated with coral reefs.
How can it be recognised?
- The body is elongated and laterally compressed. The sides are silvery with yellow highlights.
- It can be spotted by the 5 black spots on its flanks.
- Its lower jaw is slightly protruding and its large eyes are positioned to allow good binocular vision. These are assets that enable it to aim accurately to bring down its prey with a jet of water.
What is distinctive about it?
- The archer fish is a hunter of formidable precision. It can bring down prey, whether an insect resting on a leaf or in mid-air, by projecting a jet of water from a height of up to 2 metres. Its shot is so precise that the prey falls right next to it, ready to be devoured.
- Juvenile archer fish with less accurate shots work together to improve their chances of hitting their targets.
- They live in small groups.
Menace et mesure de protection
Although classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN, the Toxotes jaculatrix is vulnerable to habitat degradation, particularly the destruction of mangroves and pollution of coastal waters.
No specific conservation measures are currently in place.
