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Pterophyllum
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Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as angelfish. All Pterophyllum species originate in the Amazon Basin, Orinoco Basin and various rivers in the Guiana Shield in tropical South America. The three species of Pterophyllum are unusually shaped for cichlids, being greatly laterally compressed, with round bodies and elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins. This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. Naturally occurring angelfish are frequently striped transversely, colouration which provid
OverviewAI-generated
Pterophyllum is a genus of freshwater fish within the family Cichlidae. It belongs to the order Cichliformes, class Teleostei, and phylum Chordata. The taxon was described by Heckel in 1840 and holds an accepted status in biological records. Members of this genus are commonly known as Freshwater Angelfish and are classified under the iconic taxon Actinopterygii.
The organism inhabits freshwater environments. While specific geographic ranges are not detailed in the provided information, the genus is documented in various biological databases. It is referenced by 85 other encyclopedia articles, indicating its presence in broader scientific literature.
Synthesized by Vinony from 17 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Freshwater Angelfish
Genus
- PhylumChordata
- ClassTeleostei
- OrderCichliformes
- FamilyCichlidae
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~16 min read
Encyclopedic overview
15 sectionsContents
- Species
- History
- In the aquarium
- Species
- Care
- Breeding
- Lifespan
- Compatibility with other fish
- Common angelfish diseases
- Ich (white spot disease)
- Fin rot
- Swim bladder disease
- Bacterial infections
- Aquarium varieties
- References
Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae known to most aquarists as angelfish. All Pterophyllum species originate in the Amazon Basin, Orinoco Basin and various rivers in the Guiana Shield in tropical South America. The three species of Pterophyllum are unusually shaped for cichlids, being greatly laterally compressed, with round bodies and elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins. This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants, often on a vertical surface. Naturally occurring angelfish are frequently striped transversely, colouration which provides additional camouflage. Angelfish are ambush predators and prey on small fish and macroinvertebrates. All Pterophyllum species form monogamous pairs. Eggs are generally laid on a submerged log or a flattened leaf but can also be laid on filter piping when kept in an aquarium setting. As is the case for other cichlids, brood care is highly developed.
Pterophyllum should not be confused with marine angelfish, perciform fish found on shallow ocean reefs.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Pterophyllum” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.