Freshwater butterflyfish

Freshwater butterflyfish (Pantodon buchholzi) is an African surface-dwelling fish with broad, winglike pectoral fins. It leaps from the water to capture prey and belongs to an ancient lineage of bony fishes.

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Surface feeding: A feeding strategy in which an animal captures food at or near the water’s surface. Freshwater butterflyfish patrols the surface and takes prey that lands or swims there.
Pantodon buchholzi: The sole living species in the genus Pantodon, native to freshwater habitats in western and central Africa. This is the scientific species name for the freshwater butterflyfish.
Freshwater aquarium: A contained freshwater environment maintained for keeping aquatic organisms. The species is kept in aquariums, where open surface access and a secure cover matter.
African butterflyfish: A common name for Pantodon buchholzi, an African freshwater fish with enlarged pectoral fins. This is an alternate common name for the same species, not a marine butterflyfish.
Pectoral fin: A paired fin attached to the pectoral girdle that helps a fish maneuver and stabilize itself. Its unusually broad pectoral fins give the fish its winglike appearance and help it leap.
Osteoglossiformes: An order of mostly freshwater ray-finned fishes that includes bonytongues and several ancient African lineages. Freshwater butterflyfish is classified within this order of ancient ray-finned fishes.
Aquarium fishkeeping: The practice of maintaining fish and other aquatic organisms in home or public aquariums. Keeping butterflyfish requires attention to its surface-feeding habits and jumping.
Arowana: A group of large, elongated freshwater fishes in the order Osteoglossiformes. Arowanas share the butterflyfish’s broad evolutionary order but differ greatly in body size and form.
Aerial respiration in fish: The use of atmospheric oxygen by fish through specialized organs or air-breathing behaviors. Freshwater butterflyfish can gulp air at the surface, supplementing oxygen taken from water.
Ray-finned fish: A fish whose fins are supported by slender bony or cartilaginous rays rather than fleshy lobes. Its pectoral fins are supported by rays, placing it among ray-finned fishes.