Archerfish

ID points

• Four to six wedge-shaped black bars on silvery white flanks
• Mouth opens upwards, with a straight back profile
• Shoots a jet of water from below the surface to knock down insects above

Basics

Family

Toxotidae

Length

15–25 cm

Depth

0-2 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Estuary & freshwater

Distribution

Brackish mangroves and estuaries of Southeast Asia

Diet

Insects, small crustaceans

Easily confused with

BannerfishThe fourth dorsal spine drawn out into a very long white bannerBatfishAlmost circular body, extremely flattenedEightband ButterflyfishEight thin, evenly spaced black vertical bands on a pale yellow ground

Fun fact

The Archerfish spits a precise jet of water from its mouth, hitting the target more than 90% of the time at an effective range of about 1-2 metres, and reaching about 3 metres at the very furthest. It also corrects automatically for the way light refracts at the water surface.