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Organism
(ORGA)
last updated: 09 Sep 2026
Pterophyllum scalare
| Realm | Eukarya |
| Kingdom | Metazoa/Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Actinopterygii |
| Order | Cichliformes |
| Family | Cichlidae |
| Subfamily | Cichlasomatinae |
| Genus | Pterophyllum |
| Species | Pterophyllum scalare |
- Pterophyllum scalare (Schultze, 1823)
- Zeus scalaris Schultze, 1823
- Pterophyllum eimekei Ahl, 1928
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AngelfishEN
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Freshwater angelfishEN
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Scalar / scalaireEN
Fish
Domesticated
Pterophyllum scalare is native to tropical South America. Its native distribution includes the Amazon River basin in Peru, Colombia and Brazil, particularly the Ucayali, Solimões and Amazon rivers, as well as rivers of Amapá in Brazil, the Oyapock River in French Guiana and the Essequibo River in Guyana.
The species is naturally distributed across the Amazon Basin and adjacent river systems of tropical South America; however, no specific centre of genetic diversity has been established based on the information available.
P. scalare is a tropical freshwater, benthopelagic, non-migratory fish. It inhabits swamps and flooded areas with dense aquatic or riverine vegetation, in clear or silty water (pH range of 6.0–8.0, hardness of 5-13 dH, and a temperature range of 24-30 °C).
Its geographical range extends approximately from 6°N to 10°S and 78°W to 51°W. Pterophyllum scalare is native to tropical South America. Its natural distribution includes the Amazon River basin in Peru, Colombia and Brazil, particularly the Ucayali, Solimões and Amazon rivers. It also occurs naturally in rivers of Amapá, Brazil, the Oyapock River in French Guiana and the Essequibo River system in Guyana. The species is extensively cultured and traded internationally as an ornamental fish and may therefore occur in captivity well beyond its native geographical range. Introduced populations have also been reported outside its native range.
EN
- Ornamental
- Research
A complete mitochondrial genome has been reported at approximately 16.5 kb, containing the standard 37 mitochondrial genes, and a de novo nuclear genome assembly has also been published, reported at approximately 734.79 Mb with 24,247 predicted protein-coding sequences.
- NCBI Taxonomy: Pterophyllum scalare (taxon ID 74131) [URL] [ English ]
- UniProt Taxonomy: Pterophyllum scalare (taxon ID 74131) [URL] [ English ]
- Fishbase: Pterophyllum scalare [URL] [ English ]
- Mitochondrial DNA Part A (2015): The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Pterophyllum scalare (Cichliformes: Cichlidae) [DOI] [ English ]
- Micropublication Biology (2022): First Ever Whole Genome Sequencing and De Novo Assembly of the Freshwater Angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare [PDF] [ English ]
- United States Geological Survey: Pterophyllum scalare [URL] [ English ]
