Toxotes kimberleyensis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Toxotes kimberleyensis |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
 |
|
| T. kimberleyensis range |
Toxotes kimberleyensis is a special type of archerfish that lives in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was first officially named by a scientist named Gerald R. Allen in 2004. People often call it the Kimberley archerfish, or sometimes the largescale archerfish or western archerfish. These fish are famous for their amazing hunting skills!
Contents
Naming the Kimberley Archerfish
Archerfish live in the waters around Australia and Indonesia. For a long time, the archerfish found in Western Australia were thought to be the same as another species called Toxotes oligolepis.
However, in 1978, a scientist named Gerald R. Allen thought that the fish in Western Australia might be a different species. In 2001, scientists compared the Kimberley fish to the original T. oligolepis fish. They found that the Kimberley fish were different in a few ways. For example, they had deeper bodies and shorter dorsal fin (back fin) spines.
Because of these differences, the Kimberley fish were given their own special name: kimberleyensis. This name refers to the Kimberley region where these fish are found.
What Does It Look Like?
The Kimberley archerfish, T. kimberleyensis, has special features on its fins that help identify it. Its dorsal fin (on its back) has five strong spines and 11 to 13 soft rays. Its anal fin (on its belly, near the tail) has three spines and 14 to 16 rays. The pectoral fins (on its sides, like arms) have 12 to 13 rays.
This fish has between 28 and 33 scales along its lateral line. This is a special line of scales that helps fish sense movement in the water. The line is mostly unbroken, except near the pectoral fin. The pelvic fins (on its belly, near the head) are quite short. It also has six to seven gill rakers on its lower gill arch, which help it filter food.
T. kimberleyensis can grow to about 12.6 cm (5.0 in) long. It has a large mouth that opens at an angle and tiny, brush-like teeth. Its head and body feel smooth with very fine scales. However, these scales are actually toothed, which is common for fish like this.
The Kimberley archerfish is silvery or silvery-white in color. It has four to five black marks on its sides. These marks can look like wedges or be more rounded. Young fish have clear or see-through fins. But as they grow up, their fins turn grey or black.
How Is It Different from Other Archerfish?
The Kimberley archerfish (Toxotes kimberleyensis) looks similar to Toxotes oligolepis because they have similar color patterns. However, there are some important differences between them.
One big difference is their fins. T. oligolepis has longer dorsal spines overall. Its third dorsal spine is especially long and sticks up higher than the rest of its back fin. But for T. kimberleyensis, the fourth and fifth spines are the longest. Even these longer spines do not stick up past the soft part of its dorsal fin.
Another way to tell them apart is by their scales. T. oligolepis usually has around 25 scales on its lateral line. In contrast, T. kimberleyensis typically has 30 to 31 scales, and sometimes even up to 33.
Where Does It Live?
The Kimberley archerfish, Toxotes kimberleyensis, only lives in fresh water. You can find it in rivers and other inland water places. So far, scientists have only found this fish in the western Kimberley district of Australia. They have been studying this area for over 30 years.
This fish is common in the Fitzroy River. It has also been seen in the Isdell River, the Meda River, and the May River, though it is rarer there. Other archerfish, like the seven-spot archerfish and the banded archerfish, can live in brackish water (a mix of fresh and salt water) or even saltwater. But T. kimberleyensis only lives in fresh water.
You can find T. kimberleyensis far upstream in the Fitzroy River, as much as 300 kilometres (190 mi) from the coast. It has even been seen as far up as the Geikie Gorge National Park.
The Kimberley archerfish likes deep freshwater pools. However, it swims close to the surface and near the shore. Like all archerfish, it has a special way of hunting. It shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off plants hanging over the water. The insects then fall into the water, and the fish quickly eats them!
