Angels - PageSuite

AMAZONAS
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base of the dorsal fin. These spots are almost always surrounded by bright blue. This angel
always has a red eye and the mouth is turned slightly upward. There are six or seven stripes
visible on the dorsal fin, while those on the caudal fin are only rarely apparent.
Pterophyllum sp. 4: To date I have caught this form only once, and that was in the Río
Demini drainage (a tributary of the Río Negro). It is the only angel I have found so far
that exhibits eight striking bands.
Pterophyllum sp. 5: This angel, which I found in the ichthyologically unexplored Río
Apaporis (Colombia), is distinguished from all other angelfishes by its small number of
dorsal-fin rays. Other differences include its large, silvery scales, the striking, large humeral
spot immediately behind the eye, and the very irregular eight or nine stripes, often
more like spots, on the dorsal fin. By contrast, the caudal fin has only three to four broad
reddish stripes.
Pterophyllum sp. 6: Like Pterophyllum sp. 5, the angel that I found in the Lago Aipauá
(Río Purus basin) has larger scales. But a very striking feature is the extremely wide
posterior black band extending from the extreme end of the dorsal
to the last ray of the anal fin. In addition, there are five to six
broad black stripes clearly visible on the dorsal, somewhat
less striking on the caudal fin. The pectoral fins are the
longest I have ever seen in any angelfish except Pterophyllum
altum.
Pterophyllum altum: This species was
described by Pellegrin in 1903. Natasha
Khardina and I have examined the
specimens in the Paris Museum (the jar
apparently hadn’t been opened since 1903).
The three specimens originated from the lower
Atabapo, Río Orinoco, Venezuela.
Pterophyllum scalare: This species was described
by Schultze in 1823 on the basis of a single specimen
collected by M.H.C. Lichtenstein, zoologist and
first director of the Berlin Zoo. Here I illustrate for the first
time the variants that I assign to this species—all with precise
collection site data. This species is often labeled as Pterophyllum
altum (Río Negro Altum) in the aquarium hobby and sometimes in the
Pterophyllum scalare from the Río Negro in Brazil.
Pterophyllum scalare
from French Guiana,
possibly a distinct
species?
TOP: AQUAPRESS/PLANQUETTE; BOTTOM: H. BLEHER; OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM RIGHT: N. KHARDINA; OTHERS: H. BLEHER