Pterophyllum scalare: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Pterophyllum scalare lives – recorded in 2 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Pterophyllum scalare
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	2 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Blenniiformes
Family	Cichlidae

Where does the Pterophyllum scalare live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Pterophyllum scalare in 2 countries and territories across North America and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Santa Isabel do Rio Negro.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Pterophyllum scalare endangered?

The Pterophyllum scalare’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Pterophyllum scalare?

The Pterophyllum scalare (Pterophyllum scalare) is a ray-finned fish in the order Blenniiformes and the family Cichlidae, genus Pterophyllum. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Pterophyllum scalare

Pterophyllum scalare, most commonly referred to as angelfish or freshwater angelfish, is the most common species of Pterophyllum kept in captivity. It is native to the Amazon Basin in Peru, Colombia, and Brazil. Particularly to the Ucayali river in Peru, the Oyapock River in French Guiana, the Essequibo River in Guyana, the Solimões, the Amapá, and the Amazon rivers in Brazil. It is found in swamps or flooded grounds where vegetation is dense and the water is either clear or silty. Its native waters range from a neutral pH of 7.0 down to near 6.0, with a general water hardness (gH) range of 3 to 10 °dH, and water temperature ranging from 26 to 30 °C (75 to 86 °F). This is the species of angelfish most frequently found in the aquarium trade. A similar (cross-breeding possible) P. scalare exists in the Rio Orinoco. They are of the same size and shape, the only difference being the stripes; the Orinoco P. scalare has thinner, but dual, stripes.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pterophyllum scalare (revision 1336982257), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q827441 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).