2 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM VOL. 120 
In the ‘‘Tropical Fish Hobbyist” (1953, vol. 1, no. 5, pp. 5-7, 20) I 
attempted to distinguish three species of aquarium-bred Pterophyllum. 
Since then I have studied specimens collected from their natural 
habitat, the syntypes of Pterophyllum altum Pellegrin, a syntype of 
P. eimekei Ahl, 27 paratypes of Plataxoides leopoldi Gosse, and the 
holotype of P. dumerilit Castelnau. 
In my 1953 study I recognized Pterophyllum scalare, P. eimeket, 
and P. altum as valid species; however, with additional material my 
conclusions have changed and in this review I now recognize as valid 
P. scalare, P. altum, and P. dumerilu. P. eimekei is a synonym of 
P. scalare. 
In the synonomy for each species I have recorded only the most 
pertinent references, omitting those related to aquaria. 
I have attempted to record each locality from which Pterophyllum 
has been reported by latitude and longitude as found in ‘“The Times 
Atlas of the World,” 1957, vol. 5 (“The Americas’’); ‘U.S. Board of 
Geographic Names Gazetteer,’’ no. 56 (‘‘Venezuela’”’) and no. 71 
(“Brazil”); Eigenmann’s “The American Characidae,” 1917, pt. 1, 
pl. 1; and Eigenmann and Allen’s ‘‘Fishes of Western South America,” 
1942, pp. 67-81. Since I was unable to find a few localities, specimens 
from such places are not included in the distributional map for the 
species (pl. 1). Some of the other records are so unspecific in locality, 
e.g., ‘Rio Orinoco,” that these cannot be plotted on the map. I have 
studied the routes followed by the collectors; the latitude and longitude 
used represents the best estimate for the information available. 
The specific localities from which specimens of Pterophyllum have 
been collected are as follows: 
locality longitude latitude 
Ambyiacu, Rio, Peru Sel is) Heriey Wy 
Araguaia, Rio, near Aruana, Brazil 14°54’ S 51°05’ W 
Atabapo, Rio, Colombia 4°03’ N 67°45’ W 
Belém [= Par4], Brazil 1°30’ S 48°55’ W 
Cacaul or Cacauoal [= Cacoal], Brazil 1°59’ S 46°13’ W 
Cashiboya, Lago above Contamana, Peru 7°19’ S 75°04’ W 
Casiquiare, Rio, Venezuela 2°01 N- 67°07" Wi 
Coary, Brazil 4°08’ S_ 63°07’ W 
Crab Falls, British Guiana 5°17’ N 58°59’ W 
Cupai [probably Rio Cupari], Brazil 3°04" S. ba 2a Wy 
Demerara or Georgetown, British Guiana 6°46’ N 58°10’ W 
Iquitos, Peru 3°oliS* Takano 
Jutahy, Brazil 3°50 /66rou aN 
Manaeapuri, Brazil 3°18’ 60°37 Ww 
Manacapuri, Lago, Brazil 3°10’ S 61°30’ W 
Manaus, Brazil 3°06’ S 60°00’ W 
Marajé I, in Amazon, Brazil 145i S 49° W 
Maximo, Lago, Brazil (?) (?) 
Monte Alegre, Brazil 2°01’ S 54°04’ W 
