Photo: Fish91, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Leopard bushfish
Ctenopoma acutirostre
15 cm
Adult size
140 L
Minimum volume
1
Minimum group
12 years
Lifespan
Water parameters
Understand these values- Genus
- Ctenopoma
- Diet
- carnivore
- Social life
- solitary
In the wild
Overview
The leopard bushfish mimics a drifting dead leaf to approach its prey, like the South American leaffish, to which it is not related. Very hardy, it can live for more than fifteen years: a good first “unusual” fish. It breathes air at the surface.
- Scientific name
- Ctenopoma acutirostre Pellegrin, 1899
- Classification
- Anabantiformes › Anabantidae
- IUCN Red List
- Least concern (LC)
Natural habitat
Middle Congo basin (Congo, DR Congo, Central African Republic)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
It lives in the middle Congo basin, from Pool Malebo to the Boyoma Falls, and in large tributaries such as the Kasai and Ubangi; there it shares the water with butterflyfish, elephantfish and Congo tetras.
Behaviour
An obligate predator, it swallows fish that fit in its mouth: keep it with larger, calm species. It generally accepts dead prey (bloodworms, worms, shrimp); dry food should not be the basis of its diet.
Sources:FishBase Seriously Fish GBIF · Base map: Natural Earth