Taxonomy & naming
Ctenopoma acutirostre was described by the French ichthyologist Jacques Pellegrin in 1899. The valid name, as listed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes, is Ctenopoma acutirostre Pellegrin, 1899. The genus Ctenopoma belongs to the family Anabantidae and encompasses the African climbing perches and bushfishes — obligate air-breathers equipped with the labyrinth organ, a suprabranchial accessory breathing structure that allows them to survive in warm, poorly oxygenated waters.
Within Ctenopoma, C. acutirostre sits in a group of robust, predatory species sometimes distinguished from the smaller forest forms. Its common names — leopard bushfish, spotted ctenopoma, spotted climbing perch, and African leaf fish — all reference the spotted pattern and stalking behaviour. The 'leaf fish' label is informal and is shared with unrelated species in other families, but it captures the fish's most distinctive foraging strategy: drifting head-down at an angle that perfectly mimics a suspended dead leaf, then striking with explosive speed.
Morphology
Ctenopoma acutirostre is a moderately elongated, laterally compressed fish reaching 6 in total length under typical conditions, with occasional individuals — especially those grown on in large systems — reported to approach 8 in. The body is deep-bodied relative to most African anabantids, with a blunt, rounded snout, large upturned mouth, and a continuous dorsal fin bearing strong spines anteriorly. The caudal peduncle is narrow and the tail rounded.
Colouration is the species' signature. The background is a warm golden-tan to pale brown, overlaid with a loose scatter of dark brown to black spots of variable size — a pattern that gives the fish excellent camouflage among floating vegetation, dappled light, and leaf litter. The spots can intensify or fade with mood and background. A dark blotch at the base of the caudal fin is characteristic. The fish can hold itself at a pronounced head-down tilt while drifting, reinforcing the dead-leaf impression. Both sexes are similarly marked; adult males develop fine spiny scales on the caudal peduncle that aid identification.
Habitat
Ctenopoma acutirostre is native to the middle Congo River basin, distributed from Malebo Pool (formerly Stanley Pool) upstream to the Boyoma Falls (formerly Stanley Falls), and throughout a number of major tributaries including the Kasai, Lefini, Ubangi, Tshuapa, and Lomami. Its range spans parts of the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic.
The species is a fish of still and slow-moving waters, strongly associated with floating plant mats — notably dense stands of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and similar emergent or floating vegetation — as well as submerged branches, driftwood, and accumulations of leaf litter along forested riverbanks. It is a benthopelagic species that spends much of its time in mid-water among cover rather than on the substrate. As a labyrinth fish it can extract oxygen from air directly, which allows it to thrive in warm, oxygen-depleted backwaters and flooded forest zones where most other fish cannot persist. Reported temperature range in the wild is approximately 68–86 °F (68–86 °F); the pH tolerance is broad, from slightly acidic through alkaline water (pH 6.0–8.0).
Feeding
Ctenopoma acutirostre is an obligate predator. In the wild it takes small fishes, aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and fish eggs — essentially any animal prey small enough to be swallowed. Its hunting method relies on concealment and explosive close-range strikes: the fish drifts or hangs motionless in cover, often tilted head-down among floating plants, until prey ventures within range, then lunges with a speed that gives the target no time to react. The large, protrusible mouth creates a powerful suction that draws prey in at the moment of strike.
In captivity the leopard bushfish is an eager but often selective feeder. It generally refuses dry foods, at least initially, and is best offered meaty live and frozen items — bloodworms, earthworms, chopped prawn, fish flesh, and small live or defrosted fish. Many specimens can eventually be trained onto meaty frozen foods presented with movement (tweezers or a current); prepared pellets are accepted by some individuals but should not be relied upon. The strong predatory drive means it will take tankmates it can fit in its mouth, which shapes stocking choices considerably.
Mating
Ctenopoma acutirostre is an open-water egg-scattering spawner with no parental care. Like other members of the genus, it does not build a bubble nest and does not brood its young. Mating activity in captivity typically occurs at night and can be difficult to observe: the pair embraces in typical anabantid fashion, the male wrapping around the female, and eggs are released into the water column — often near or at the surface among floating vegetation.
The eggs are buoyant and small, rising to the surface where they drift among floating plants. No territory is defended and no attention is paid to the clutch after spawning. In aquarium settings, eggs released at night are often consumed by the adults or other tank inhabitants before morning, which is a primary reason breeding success in private hands is rare. Spawning appears to be stimulated by slight temperature increases and the provision of surface vegetation.
Breeding
Successful breeding of Ctenopoma acutirostre in the aquarium is uncommon but has been achieved, and organised breeding operations in Southeast Asia produce captive-bred stock that supplies a significant portion of the trade. In a dedicated breeding setup, a conditioned pair is provided with a species-only tank containing abundant floating plants (Ceratopteris or similar), subdued lighting, and warm, soft to moderate-hardness water — Seriously Fish records successful spawning at 75 °F and pH 5.5, with conductivity around 36 µS/cm.
Spawning takes place at or near the surface; the buoyant eggs — which can number in the thousands in a productive spawning — float among the plants. Because the adults show no parental care and will eat the eggs, the spawning pair should be removed promptly or the eggs siphoned into a separate hatching vessel. Incubation is rapid: eggs hatch within approximately 48 hours at typical breeding temperatures, and the fry become free-swimming shortly after. The larvae are very small and require tiny initial foods such as infusoria or other microscopic live food before progressing to newly hatched brine shrimp nauplii. Brood survival in home aquaria is often low due to cannibalism among the fry, which requires progressively culling and size-grading juveniles.
In the aquarium
The leopard bushfish is a popular but specialised aquarium subject. It is hardy in terms of water chemistry — tolerating a wide pH and temperature range that suits many community setups — but it is an uncompromising predator that cannot be trusted with fish small enough to be swallowed, which in practice means any tankmate under about 2–2.5 in is at risk in the company of an adult. Suitable companions are robust, similarly sized fish that are not themselves aggressive: large tetras, medium-sized cichlids, catfish, and other fish of comparable size from the Congo basin all have good track records.
The aquarium should replicate the species' preference for cover and subdued light. Floating plants (Ceratopteris, Pistia, or water lettuce), bogwood, and clusters of rooted plants reduce stress and encourage the natural leaf-fish posture that makes the animal so striking to observe. Lighting should be gentle; bright, unbroken illumination causes the fish to hide and fade. Filtration should maintain good water quality without creating strong currents — the leopard bushfish prefers still to slow-moving water, and as an obligate air-breather it requires unobstructed access to the surface. A tight-fitting lid is essential, as the fish is a capable and determined jumper.
Diet in captivity is the primary management challenge. Specimens rarely accept dry foods and must be maintained on varied meaty items; a fish kept on bloodworm alone will decline over time. Water temperature between 22 and 82 °F (72–82 °F) suits most specimens. With proper feeding and space, the leopard bushfish is a long-lived, intelligent, and low-maintenance fish — more observer than fish — that rewards patient keepers with a remarkably personal character.
Conservation
Ctenopoma acutirostre is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its wide distribution across the middle Congo basin and the absence of evidence of significant population decline. The Congo River system is among the largest and most biologically diverse river systems on Earth, and the leopard bushfish is found across a broad stretch of the main river and many of its major tributaries, occupying a habitat type — floating vegetation mats and slow backwaters — that remains widespread within its range.
Collection for the ornamental fish trade is ongoing, and the species has been commercially popular since the 1970s, but wild collection appears to be sustainable at current levels given the size and connectivity of the Congo basin. Captive breeding in Southeast Asia now supplies a meaningful share of trade specimens, further reducing pressure on wild populations. Broader threats to the Congo basin's freshwater habitats — deforestation, agricultural runoff, and expanding artisanal fisheries — are long-term concerns for the entire basin's biodiversity, though none are currently driving population-level declines in this species specifically.