---
title: "Butterfly Peacock Bass"
description: "Cichla ocellaris — Fish. Cichla ocellaris, sometimes known as the butterfly peacock bass (\"peacock bass\" is also used for some of its relatives), is a very large species of cichlid from South America, and a prized game fish."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/butterfly-peacock-bass
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Butterfly Peacock Bass

> Cichla ocellaris — Fish. Cichla ocellaris, sometimes known as the butterfly peacock bass ("peacock bass" is also used for some of its relatives), is a very large species of cichlid from South America, and a prized game fish.

- Scientific name: *Cichla ocellaris*
- Category: `fish` (Fish)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 1771
- Wikidata: [Q4889552](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4889552)
- iNaturalist taxon: [126567](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/126567)

## Names

- en: Butterfly Peacock Bass
- de: Grüner Augenfleck-Kammbarsch
- es: Cíclido Pavorreal Ocelado
- fr: Toucounaré
- nl: Pauwoogbaars

## Countries with the most observations

US (1313), BR (49), TW (47), SG (34), MY (14), PR (13), PE (11), CO (5), GF (5), GY (5), PA (5)

## Summary

Cichla ocellaris, sometimes known as the butterfly peacock bass ("peacock bass" is also used for some of its relatives), is a very large species of cichlid from South America, and a prized game fish. It reaches 74 cm (29 in) in length. It is native to the Marowijne and Essequibo drainages in the Guianas, and the Branco River in Brazil. It has also been introduced to regions outside its natural range (e.g., Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), but some uncertainty exists over the exact identity, and at least some of the introductions may involve another Cichla species or hybrids. It is frequently confused with C. monoculus…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cichla_ocellaris

## Photo

![Butterfly Peacock Bass](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/butterfly-peacock-bass/medium.jpg)

Photo: Jade Fortnash · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/79845252

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/butterfly-peacock-bass?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).