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Leaffishes are small fishes of the family Polycentridae. They consist of four genera found in fresh and brackish water in South America and Africa.
The African species were formerly placed in the Anabantiformes family Nandidae (otherwise found only in Asia), but recent taxonomic studies have affirmed their relationship to the South American species. Their taxonomic placement was previously debated, but they are now generally placed in the order Cichliformes.
All of these fishes are highly specialized ambush predators that Leaf mimicry, down to the point that their swimming style resembles a drifting leaf (thus the common name leaf fish); when a prey animal - such as an aquatic insect or smaller fish - comes within range, the fish attacks, swallowing the prey potentially within a quarter of a second. To aid in this lifestyle, all members of the family have large heads, cryptic colors, and very large protractile mouths capable of taking prey items nearly as large as they are. These intriguing behaviors have given the family a niche in the aquariums hobby; however, none of these species are easy to maintain in aquariums, requiring very clean, soft, acidity water and copious amounts of live food.
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