archerfish

arch·er·fish

A0407000 (är′chər-fĭsh′)n. pl. archerfish or arch·er·fish·es Any of several fishes of the family Toxotidae that prey on insects by knocking them off vegetation with a jet of water shot from the mouth.

archerfish

(ˈɑːtʃəˌfɪʃ) n, pl -fish or -fishes (Animals) any freshwater percoid fish of the family Toxotidae of S and SE Asia and Australia, esp Toxotes jaculatrix, that catch insects by spitting water at them

ar•cher•fish

(ˈɑr tʃərˌfɪʃ)

n., pl. (esp. collectively) -fish, (esp. for kinds or species) -fish•es. a small fish, Toxotesjaculator, of SE Asia that catches spiders and insects by spitting drops of water at them and causing them to fall. [1885–90]

Thesaurus

Noun

archerfish - any of several small freshwater fishes that catch insects by squirting water at them and knocking them into the water; found in Indonesia and AustraliaToxotes jaculatrixpercoid, percoid fish, percoidean - any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of the order Perciformesgenus Toxotes, Toxotes - type genus of the Toxotidae

archerfish

archerfish,

laterally compressed fish, genus Toxotes, which catches insects by spitting at and disabling them. The archerfish has a groove in the roof of its mouth that forms a long narrow tube when the tongue is placed against it; the fish propels drops of water along the tube by compressing its gill covers. Some archerfishes can shoot as far as 12 ft (3.5 m), with reasonable accuracy up to about 4 ft (1.2 m). Apparently they are able to correct the trajectory after missing a target. Shooting down insects is an auxiliary method of food-getting for the archerfish, which feeds mostly on insects floating in the water. The five archerfish species inhabit fresh and brackish coastal water in India and SE Asia. The species most often displayed in aquariums is T. jaculatrix, a silver fish with black stripes, which grows as long as 8 in. (20 cm). Archerfishes are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Actinopterygii, order Perciformes, family Toxotidae.

Archerfish

(Toxotes jaculator), a fish of the family Toxotidae, order Percomorphi. It lives in fresh waters of south-eastern Asia and near the shores of the Indian Ocean and adjacent parts of the Pacific Ocean. Body length is up to 20 cm. Archerfish feed on insects, getting their food in a unique manner: by emitting a thin stream of water from their mouth to a distance up to 1.5 m (hence the Russian common name bryzgun, “sprayer”), they accurately knock insects off the branches and roots of coastal plants.

archerfish

[′är·chər‚fish] (vertebrate zoology) The common name for any member of the fresh-water family Toxotidae in the order Perciformes; individuals eject a stream of water from the mouth to capture insects.

archerfish

arch·er·fish

archerfish

ar•cher•fish

archerfish

archerfish,

Archerfish

archerfish

archerfish

Synonyms for archerfish

noun any of several small freshwater fishes that catch insects by squirting water at them and knocking them into the water

Synonyms

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