Freshwater Butterflyfish

Pantodon: Ancient Greek, πᾶν (pan) = all + ,ὀδών (odṓn) = tooth; buchholzi: Named after Professor Dr. Buchholz, collector of the type specimens.

Everything about this fish is geared toward their ability to hunt and thrive at the surface. Their eyes are upward-facing, and their body is mostly flat on top as well. Their mouth is positioned at an upward angle too. This allows the fish to easily scarf down any small prey it finds and breathe air from the surface (they have a swim bladder).

Their dorsal and anal fins are average in size, but their caudal fin is rather large. All of these fins are partially translucent with evenly spaced darker lines. The pectoral fins are enlarged and extend outward from the side of the body, suggesting the “butterfly” part of its common name when seen from above.

The ventral fins of this fish are quite interesting. They look a lot like thin barbels and don’t serve much of a purpose in terms of mobility, but they likely aid them in their ability to feel for danger below.

One of the most interesting things about the African butterfly fish is their ability to jump through the air. While many fish can break the surface of the water if they want to, this species can actually glide!

This is made possible by their large pectoral fins, which resemble butterfly wings. When they’re in the air, they’ll fan these out to get as much surface area as possible so they can stay airborne longer. They rely on this handy trick as a way of escaping predators in the wild.

It is carnivorous, feeding primarily on aquatic insects and smaller fish. When freshwater butterflyfish spawn, they produce a mass of large floating eggs at the surface. Fertilization is believed to be internal. Eggs hatch in about seven days.

Because their build allows them to be efficient hunters and avoid being eaten, they have remained largely unchanged for millions of years. The butterflyfish is a distant relative of arowanas and other bony-tongue fish.

Freshwater butterflyfish are kept in large aquaria, although a single specimen should be kept as the only top-level fish, as they can be aggressive to their own kind and others at surface level. The tops of the tanks must be tightly closed because of their jumping habits.

No data are available on the population. Eastern distribution limit seems to be the Ouémé River in Benin, although it is also reported from the Jong River in Sierra Leone. It lives in swamps, creeks and backwaters, and inhabits the calmer parts of rivers, where it can be seen on the surface waters.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Aquatic

• Habitat: All

• Earth: Benin; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Republic of Congo; Democratic Republic of Congo; Gabon; Nigeria

Freshwater butterfly can be 'tamed' using Fish Trapper. While they can level, they do eat from the feeder.

Coming soon.

• Deutsch: Schmetterlingsfisch

• English: Freshwater Butterflyfish

• Français: Poisson papillon d'eau douce

• Magyar: Pillangóhal

• Português: Peixe-borboleta-africano

• Svenska: Fjärilsfisk

• Thai: ปลาผีเสื้อ

• Nigerian Lupe: Ndako-nnakonyika

• Ijo: Idaumakoti

• Ijaw (Ijo): Akwadmakode

• Lokele: Lifululu

• Olombo: Lifululu

• Hausa: Kakan kifi

• Yoruba: Eleyan, Lapooti, Oloyan

• Coming soon

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshwater_butterflyfish

• https://www.aquariumsource.com/african-butterfly-fish/

• https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/the-african-butterflyfish-pantodon-buchholzi 

• https://www.trvst.world/biodiversity/fish-quotes/

• https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q260106

• https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Pantodon_buchholzi

• https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pantodontidae/classification/

• https://www.fishbase.ca/summary/2075

• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/108350-Pantodon-buchholzi

• https://www.gbif.org/species/2402307

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/183157/135016934

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Freshwater-Butterflyfish-953982694