Chaca (fish)
| Chaca | |
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| Family: | Chacidae Bleeker, 1858
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| Genus: | Chaca J. E. Gray, 1831
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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 immobile.
The name Chaca is derived from the fact that 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
There are currently four species recognized in this genus:[4][5]
- Chaca bankanensis Bleeker, 1852 (Angler catfish)
- Chaca burmensis B. A. Brown & Ferraris, 1988
- Chaca chaca (F. Hamilton, 1822) (Squarehead catfish)
- Chaca serica H. H. Ng & Kottelat, 2012[5]
Distribution and habitat
Chaca species are found in freshwater 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 an elongated, broad, and flattened head. The mouth is terminal and very wide.[2] There are three or four pairs of barbels, though if the nasal barbels are present they are minute.[8] These fish grow to a length of about 20 centimetres (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 will 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 will 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 its mouth, 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 mouth 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. These fish are nocturnal and are usually inactive. [9] A bizarre phenomenon is shown in that Chaca appear to lower the pH of the water, and so maintenance of water chemistry is necessary.[3] These fish have been bred in captivity.[3]
References
- ^ "Chacidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Roberts, Tyson R. (1982). "A Revision of the South and Southeast Asian Angler-Catfishes (Chacidae)". Copeia. 1982 (4). American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists: 895–901. doi:10.2307/1444100. JSTOR 1444100.
- ^ a b c d e "Catfish of the Month::March 2001". 2006-10-03. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Chaca". FishBase. December 2011 version.
- ^ a b Ng, H.H. & Kottelat, M. (2012): Chaca serica, a new species of frogmouth catfish (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from southern Borneo. Zootaxa, 3258: 37–45.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Chaca chaca". FishBase. May 2007 version.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Chaca bankanensis". FishBase. May 2007 version.
- ^ Nelson, Joseph S. (2006). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 0471250317.
- ^ Axelrod, Herbert R. (1996). Exotic Tropical Fishes. T.F.H. Publications. ISBN 0-87666-543-1.