Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perches)
Family: Toxotidae (Archerfishes)
Genus: Toxotes
Species: T. chatareus
Synonym: Coius chatareus Hamilton, 1822
Common/local names
English: Spotted archerfish
Bangladesh: Poitke (পৈতাকে)
India: Kondryn and Samudrik-chanda (West Bengal) (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Distribution: Bangladesh; India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malay Peninsula, Thailand and eastwards to New Guinea and northern Australia (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Conservation status: Not threatened in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body oblong and compressed with flattened head on dorsal surface. 33-35 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005); 29-34 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; Huda et al., 2003) scales on lateral line. 3-5 rows of scales above lateral line and 9-11 rows below lateral line (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Dorsal fin with 5 spines and 12 soft rays (Huda et al., 2003).
Gray to silvery body with a series of 5-7 black blotches on upper half of body. Dorsal and anal fins dusky to blackish; pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins are slightly dusky.
Fin formula:
D. V/12-13; P1. 13; P2. I/5; A. III/16; C. 17 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005)
D V 12; A III 16-17; P 13; V I 5 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991)
Maximum lengths: 12 cm (Rahman, 1989 and 2005) and 30 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; Huda et al., 2003).
Habitats: Primarily an inhabitant of brackish mangrove estuaries and also found in rivers and small streams; fairly common in Hooghly estuary (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Estuaries and Bay of Bengal (Rahman, 1989 and 2005), also found in Sundarbans (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; Huda et al., 2003).
Fishery information: Of minor interest to fisheries (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Caught mainly by seine nets and hook and line (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Hamilton F (1822) An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh & London. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches.: i-vii + 1-405, Pls. 1-39.
Huda MS, Haque ME, Babul AS and Shil NC (ed.) (2003) Field guide to finfishes of Sundarban, Aquatic resources division, Sundarban, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh, p. 147.
IUCN Bangladesh (2000) Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.
Rahman AKA (1989) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 332-333.
Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 360-361.
Talwar PK and Jhingran AG (1991) Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 2, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, p. 871.
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