Taxonomy of Finfish (1+2)

4.2.15 Pterophyllum scalare

Family: Cichlidae

Genus: PterphyllumI

English name: Angelfish

Origin: The Amazon basin

Size: Maximum 15 cm

Habitat: Found in sluggish and still overgrown waters.

Shape, coloring and markings:

The body is slightly longer than it is deep, but still gives the impression of being very deep and almost disc-shaped: the snout is slightly protuberant and the forehead rises much more sharply than in P.altumI.  The basic coloration is grayish green with a silvery sheen: the back is olive green: the belly lighter. Four prominent and three less prominent dark bands lie on the flanks: the most prominent of all runs from the rip of the elongated dorsal fin to the tip of the elongated and fin. The dorsal fin is bluish gray and white: the anal fin is darker: the ventral fins are yellowish green, tipped with orange. The caudal fin is bluish gray and is wider at the edge than in related species.

There are no known external sexual characteristics.