Wild Angelfish Species

The Pterophyllum genus is very wide ranging and extremely diverse in appearance. This diversity has caused some speculation when it comes to identification of many wild collections. There are currently three species of Pterophyllum recognized. They are Pterophyllum scalare, Pterophyllum altum and Pterophyllum leopoldi.

Naming Synonyms for Wild Pterophyllum Species

The first name is the recognized species name. The synonyms are prior names that were proven incorrect and changed to the current name.
Pterophyllum scalare - synonyms are Pterophyllum eimekei, Plataxoides dumerilii, Pterophyllum dumerilii, Zeus scalaris
Pterophyllum leopoldi - synonyms are Plataxoides leopold

    

1st Photo - Preserved specimen of Pterophyllum scalare from Dr. Kullander study.
2nd Photo - Pterophyllum scalare showing typical profile.
3rd Photo - Pterophyllum scalare that shows more of a brownish hue. These are commonly sold as Peruvian altums, in error.

        

1st & 2nd  Photo - Fish sold as Pterophyllum leopoldi. We suspect it is an unnamed species. Kullander suggests that similar fish are a Peruvian form of scalare. It has a lower lateral line scale count than Pterophyllum scalare, longer curving ventral fins and no distinctive predorsal notch.
3rd Photo - These were imported as a Peruvian altum, but are positively, Pterophyllum scalare. Altums have much wider, brownish bars, and more of them. Notice the strongly notched predorsal contour which differs from the wild in the previous photo.
4th Photo - Peruvian scalare

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