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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: freshwater angelfish
Synonyms and Other Names: veil angelfish, black angelfish, longfin angelfish, common angelfish, angel, scalare, leaf fish [many other names]
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Schultz (1967) reviewed the genus and gave distinguishing characteristics of the species; he considered Pterophyllum eimekei a junior synonym. Many color variants are found in the aquarium trade. Photographs of live fish were given in Axelrod et al. (1985), Axelrod (1993), and Bleher (1993).
Size: 15 cm (Petrovicky 1988; Axelro
Native Range:
Tropical America. Guyana, Venezuela, in Amazonas south to Mato Grosso of Brazil and Peru (Schultz 1967; Bleher 1993).
Nonindigenous Occurrences: A single specimen (5 cm long and identified as Pterophyllum eimekei) was taken with rotenone from a pond on the eastern side of the Salton Sea near the Hot Mineral Spa in Imperial County, California, on 3 January 1964 (St. Amant 1966). There is an unconfirmed report from an unspecified locality in Florida (Courtenay et al. 1984, 1991) (see remarks). There are also unconfirmed reports of this species in Kentucky (Courtenay et al. 1991).
Means of Introduction: Not known, although Kentucky record likely result of aquarium release.
Status: Reported from three states, California, Florida, and Kentucky.
Impact of Introduction: Unknown.
Remarks:
The Florida report of Pterophyllum sp. (Courtenay and Hensley 1979a) and that of Pterophyllum scalare (Courtenay et al. 1984, 1991) represent the same record (Courtenay, personal communication). The locality of that collection was the Lake Worth Drainage District canal L-14, near a fish farm in Palm Beach County, Florida (Courtenay and Hensley 1979a). There are no known voucher specimens.
This species is proven through experimentation to be an alternative host to the native mussel glochidia of Utterbackia imbecillis (Watters and O'Dee 1998).
Axelrod, H. R. 1993. The most complete colored lexicon of cichlids. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ.
Axelrod, H. R., W. E. Burgess, N. Pronek, and J. G. Walls. 1985. Dr. Axelrod's atlas of freshwater aquarium fishes. Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, Inc., Neptune City, NJ.
Bleher, H. (editorial board). 1993. Leaf fish. Aqua Geõgraphia, volume 3 (March):76-79.
Courtenay, W. - Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL.
Courtenay, W. R., Jr., and D. A. Hensley. 1979a. Survey of introduced non-native fishes. Phase I Report. Introduced exotic fishes in North America: status 1979. Report Submitted to National Fishery Research Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gainesville, FL.
Courtenay, W. R., Jr., D. A. Hensley, J. N. Taylor, and J. A. McCann. 1984. Distribution of exotic fishes in the continental United States. Pages 41-77 in W. R. Courtenay, Jr., and J. R. Stauffer, Jr., editors. Distribution, biology and management of exotic fishes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
Courtenay, W. R., Jr., D. P. Jennings, and J. D. Williams. 1991. Appendix 2: exotic fishes. Pages 97-107 in Robins, C. R., R. M. Bailey, C. E. Bond, J. R. Brooker, E. A. Lachner, R. N. Lea, and W. B. Scott. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada, 5th edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 20. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.
Petrovicky, I. 1988. Aquarium fish of the world. Hamlyn, London, England.
Schultz, L. P. 1967. Review of South American freshwater angelfishes?genus Pterophyllum. Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum 120:1-10.
St. Amant, J. A. 1966. Addition of Tilapia mossambica Peters to the California fauna. California Fish and Game 52:54-55.
Watters, T.G. and S.H. O'Dee. 1998. Metamorphosis of freshwater mussel glochidia (Bivalvia: Unionidae) on amphibians and exotic fishes. Am. Midl. Nat. 139: 49-57.
Other Resources:
Species Summary for Pterophyllum scalare freshwater angelfish (FishBase)
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Leo Nico
Revision Date: 8/26/2004 Citation for this information:
Leo Nico. 2009. Pterophyllum scalare. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=475> Revision Date: 8/26/2004
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