Taxonomy & naming
Hamilton described the species in 1822 from the Ganges River estuaries of India. One partner store lists it as Toxotes mekongensis, a name that does not appear as valid in the Catalog of Fishes; the atlas files the fish under Toxotes chatareus. The meaning of the epithet is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Morphology
A deep-bodied, flat-backed fish with an upturned mouth. FishBase gives a maximum of 15.5 in SL for males or unsexed fish.
Habitat
Asia and Oceania, from Sri Lanka and India to New Guinea and northern Australia. FishBase describes a freshwater and brackish, pelagic, amphidromous fish of the tropics, meaning it moves between fresh and salt water during its life, with a temperature range of 25 to 30 degrees C.
Feeding
Diet is not documented in the atlas cache. Archerfishes in general hit insects and other small animals on overhanging vegetation with a jet of water from the mouth.
Mating
Courtship has not been described for this species.
Breeding
Breeding has not been documented for this species.
In the aquarium
Sold by two of the partner stores. Archerfishes need a wide tank with a gap between the water surface and the lid, and larger fish do better with some salt added. FishBase lists the species as traded commercially and gives a temperature range of 25 to 30 degrees C, with no pH or hardness range.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List classes Toxotes chatareus as Least Concern, assessed in February 2019. It has a wide range across southern Asia and Australasia.