Animalia Life
Pterophyllum scalare
FAMILY
Cichlidae
TAXONOMY
Zeus scalaris Lichtenstein, 1823, Brazil.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Black angelfish, longfin angelfish, veil angelfish;
French: Poisson ange, scalaire; German: Dumerils, Perlscalar,
Segelflosser; Spanish: Pez angel.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Maximum length 3 in (7.5 cm). Very deep bodied and laterally
compressed, with diamond-shaped body. Dorsal, anal, and
pelvic fins very elongate. Adults silvery in color with four dark
vertical bars; juveniles have seven bars.
DISTRIBUTION
Widely distributed in the Amazon basin; found in Peru,
Colombia, and Brazil in the Ucayali, Solimхes and Amazonas
Rivers. Also in the rivers of Amapб, Brazil, the Oyapock in
French Guiana, and the Essequibo River in Guyana.
HABITAT
Lakes, swamps, and flooded forests with dense aquatic vegetation
and minimal current.
BEHAVIOR
Peaceable, gregarious fishes that take refuge in aquatic vegetation.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans, including shrimps,
prawns, and Artemia nauplii.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Forms monogamous pairs. Female spawns on thick plant
leaves, and both parents care for eggs and young. Male and
female nibble at eggs to release wrigglers about a day and a
half after spawning, and may move brood to a pit in the substrate.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Exceedingly popular in the aquarium trade, with millions of
specimens sold every year; numerous color and fin varieties
have been selectively bred.
Photo Gallery of - Freshwater angelfish
