Look before you leap
- University of California, Davis, Department of Ophthalmology, 4860 Y Street, Suite 2400, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; irschwab@ucdavis.edu
The African butterfly fish, Pantodon buchholzi, is the sole member of the family Pantodontidae and is found only in west Africa. This fish has been described as a fresh water flying fish because it leaps out of the water as an escape behaviour. It has a bizarre appearance for a fish, with distinctive dorsal and anal fins that act almost like vertical stabilisers. Its lateral or pectoral fins are especially wide, like butterfly wings, as can be seen on the cover of this month's BJO. Although it is a strong leaper and may jump to a height well beyond its body length, it does not “fly” in the same manner as the pelagic species of the genera Cypselurus or Exocoelus.
Ecologically, it occupies a highly specialised visual niche just below the water's surface. Pantodon is an obligate surface feeder and will prey upon insects and other creatures which it sees on or above the water line but rarely, if ever, feeds in the water column. It must simultaneously see …
