Chaca (fish)

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Chaca
Chaca lophioides Mintern 112.jpg
Chaca chaca
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Superfamily: Siluroidea
Family: Chacidae
Bleeker, 1858
Genus: Chaca
J. E. Gray, 1831
Type species
Platystacus chaca
Hamilton, 1822

Chaca is the only genus in the catfish family Chacidae. These fish are commonly known as squarehead catfishes, frogmouth catfishes, or angler catfishes. [1] These unusual fish have a sedentary lifestyle and spend much of their time motionless.

Contents

The name Chaca is because, when removed from the water, they will rapidly repeat the sound "chaca". [2] Only C. chaca makes these sounds; the other species do not. [3]

Species

The four currently recognized species in this genus are: [4] [5]

Distribution and habitat

Chaca species are found in fresh water from eastern India to Borneo.

C. chaca is found in rivers, canals, and ponds of grassland, scrubland, deciduous forest, and rainforest habitats. [2] [6] On the other hand, C. bankanensis is only found in the rainforest, where it inhabits peat. [2] [7]

Appearance and anatomy

Chaca catfish have elongated, broad, and flattened heads. The mouths are terminal and very wide. [2] Three or four pairs of barbels are found, though if the nasal barbels are present, they are minute. [8] These fish grow to a length of about 20 cm (7.9 in). [4]

The dorsal fin is short and possesses strong, serrated, fin spines, which are strong enough to inflict wounds. [2]

Ecology

These fish live in soft substrates where they bury themselves as camouflage, both for protection and to feed. [6] These fish are ambush predators. They feed on prey such as small fish, including cyprinids and pupfishes. [2] They lie in wait, well camouflaged, in preparation for prey to swim by. Sometimes, they use their maxillary barbels (attached to the upper jaw) to lure prey fish closer to their mouths, similar to a worm jerking in the water, [2] although this behavior is contested by some aquarists, who do not observe this behavior. [3] When the catfish is ready to strike, the Chaca will open its large mouth rapidly, creating a vacuum that pulls in water and its prey, which may be up to half the fish's own length. [2] These fish are also able to use this large mouths as a means of propulsion; when frightened, they will gulp a large amount of water and expel it through their gills. [3]

In the aquarium

Chaca species are occasionally available as aquarium fish. They are nocturnal and are usually inactive. [9] A bizarre phenomenon is shown in that Chaca species appear to lower the pH of the water, so maintenance of water chemistry is necessary. [3] These fish have been bred in captivity. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Synodontis nigriventris</i>

Synodontis nigriventris, the blotched upside-down catfish, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Congo Basin of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.

<i>Clarias</i> Genus of fishes

Clarias is a genus of catfishes of the family Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes. The name is derived from the Greek chlaros, which means lively, in reference to the ability of the fish to live for a long time out of water.

Stream catfish

The stream catfishes comprise the family Akysidae of catfishes.

Shark catfish

The shark catfishes form the family Pangasiidae. They are found in fresh and brackish waters across southern Asia, from Pakistan to Borneo. Among the 30-odd members of this family is the plant-eating, endangered Mekong giant catfish Pangasianodon gigas, one of the largest known freshwater fish. Several species are the basis of productive aquaculture industries in Vietnam's Mekong Delta.

<i>Kryptopterus</i> Genus of fishes

Kryptopterus is a genus of catfishes belonging to the family Siluridae. They are found in freshwater throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name comes from Ancient Greek kryptós + ptéryx. It refers to the reduced or even entirely absent dorsal fin of these catfishes.

Hemibagrus wyckii is a species of catfish of the family Bagridae. It is occasionally called the crystal-eyed catfish.

<i>Batasio</i> Genus of fishes

Batasio is a genus of catfish of the family Bagridae. These small fish are found in fast-flowing hillstreams throughout South and mainland Southeast Asia.

<i>Bagrichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Bagrichthys is a genus of bagrid catfishes.

<i>Hyalobagrus</i> Genus of fishes

Hyalobagrus is a genus of bagrid catfishes found in Southeast Asia.

Helicophagus is a genus of shark catfishes native to Southeast Asia.

<i>Bagarius</i> Genus of fishes

Bagarius is an Asian genus of catfishes of the family Sisoridae. It includes five to six extant species and potentially one extinct fossil species, B. gigas.

Parakysis is a genus of catfishes of the family Akysidae. It includes six species.

Pseudobagarius is a genus of catfishes of the family Akysidae.

Paraplotosus is a genus of catfishes native to Australasia and South-east Asia.

<i>Plotosus</i> Genus of fishes

Plotosus is a genus of eeltail catfishes native to the Indian Ocean, the western Pacific Ocean and New Guinea.

Bayad Species of fish

The bayad, is a species of bagrid catfish from Africa.

<i>Chaca bankanensis</i> Species of fish

Chaca bankanensis is a species of angler catfish found in the Sundaland region, where it occurs in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. It is found in peat swamps and streams. This species grows to a length of 20.0 cm (7.9 in). It is found in the aquarium trade.

Chaca burmensis is a species of angler catfish endemic to Myanmar, where it is found in the Sittang River and possibly the Ayeyarwady drainage. This species grows to a length of 20.0 cm.

<i>Chaca chaca</i> Species of fish

Chaca chaca is a species of angler catfish found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra River system of India and the Ayeyarwady River of Myanmar, where it is found in rivers, canals and ponds of grassland, scrubland, deciduous forest and rainforest habitats. These species grow to a length of 26.0 cm. This fish is found in the aquarium trade. In Assam, it is locally known as kurkuri.

Microsynodontis armatus is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Gabon where it occurs in the Ivindo River. It was first described in 2004 by Ng Heok Hee.

References

  1. ↑ "Chacidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Roberts, Tyson R. (1982). "A Revision of the South and Southeast Asian Angler-Catfishes (Chacidae)". Copeia . American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. 1982 (4): 895–901. doi:10.2307/1444100. JSTOR   1444100.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Catfish of the Month::March 2001". 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  4. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). Species of Chaca in FishBase . December 2011 version.
  5. 1 2 Ng, H.H. & Kottelat, M. (2012): Chaca serica, a new species of frogmouth catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from southern Borneo. Zootaxa, 3258: 37–45.
  6. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Chaca chaca" in FishBase . May 2007 version.
  7. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2007). "Chaca bankanensis" in FishBase . May 2007 version.
  8. ↑ Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World . John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN   0-471-25031-7.
  9. ↑ Axelrod, Herbert R. (1996). Exotic Tropical Fishes. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN   0-87666-543-1.
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