Fish profile · Cichlidae

Butterfly peacock bass

Cichla ocellaris

SportFreshwater Invasive in MalaysiaLeast Concern (IUCN)

Also called Peacock bass, Butterfly peacock, and Tucunaré

An introduced South American cichlid included among the invasive peacock bass reported from Malaysia. Several Cichla species occur locally, so a fish labelled peacock bass should not automatically be identified as C. ocellaris.

Last reviewed 26 October 2026 · 7 sources

Photo of Butterfly peacock bass — (c) Caleb Catto, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Max length: 70 cm
IUCN: LC; Least Concern
In Malaysia: Invasive
Family: Cichlidae; order Perciformes

Category from the IUCN Red List, via GBIF (CC BY 4.0); it may lag the latest Red List assessment.

How big?

Linear scale · person 170 cm

Up to 70 cm.

The person is 170 cm tall.

Where in Malaysia

2 open-licence records · GBIF

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Recorded (open records)
Well-known fishing spot

1Tasik Timah Tasoh, Perlis

Recorded in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. Based on 2 open-licence records on GBIF. Few records can mean few surveys, not few fish.

Habitat

Lakes Reservoirs

Freshwater lakes and reservoirs after introduction.

Diet: Mostly fish.
Native range: The Guianas in northern South America.

More photos

Butterfly peacock bass, photo 2 — (c) Caleb Catto, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Butterfly peacock bass, photo 3 — (c) Caleb Catto, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY

Sources

Last reviewed 26 October 2026