Taxonomy & naming
Described by Pieter Bleeker in 1852 from Bangka, Indonesia. It is a valid species of Chaca in the Catalog of Fishes. The epithet is a Latinised form of the island name Bangka.
Morphology
A wide, flattened head with tiny eyes set on top, a huge terminal mouth, small barbels used as lures and a mottled, leaf-like skin. The body is soft and loose. FishBase gives a maximum of 8 in TL and warns that the short dorsal spine can inflict painful wounds. The Chaca species are told apart by detailed head and fin characters, so trade stock can be mislabelled.
Habitat
A Southeast Asian lowland species of swamp forest and soft-bottomed streams, usually among leaf litter and aquatic plants. FishBase lists Malaysia, Indonesia and Borneo, gives 75–82 °F and pH 6.0 to 7.2, and the catalog gives the type locality as Bangka.
Feeding
An ambush carnivore that feeds on fish and shrimps. In the aquarium it takes live feeders at first and many individuals can be weaned to frozen fish or shrimp.
Mating
Mating behaviour is not documented for Chaca bankanensis in the sources available to the atlas. Sexes cannot be separated reliably from the information available.
Breeding
Chaca breeding has been reported in aquaria, with a guarding parent at the eggs, but detail specific to C. bankanensis is limited in the sources available to the atlas.
In the aquarium
Keep it alone or with fish too big to be swallowed, because it eats anything that fits in its mouth. Give soft substrate, leaf litter and a dim, quiet tank with soft, slightly acid water (pH 6.0 to 7.2) at 75–82 °F. It rarely moves in daylight and may sit for days. Handle with care because of the dorsal spine.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List lists Chaca bankanensis as Near Threatened, meaning it is close to qualifying for a threatened category; FishBase gives no assessment year. Wild-caught fish are the usual source in trade.