Motýlkovec africký (Pantodon buchholzi) je představitelem evoluční linie sesterské ke všem ostatním ostnojazyčným rybám. Článek popisuje jeho unikátní morfologii, biologii, rozmnožování a také, možná překvapivě, ukazuje na geologicky dávné oddělení dvou skupin jeho populací - nigerijské a konžské, které se odehrálo nejméně před 57 milióny let. Genetický rozdíl mezi těmito populacemi je stejného řádu jako mezi jihoamerickými arowanami a asijskými baramundi a naznačuje možnost dalšího druhu motýlkovce.

Citovaná a použitá literatura:
GOSSE, J.-P. Pantodontidae. In: DAGET, Jacques; GOSSE, J.-P.; THYS VAN DEN AUDENAERDE, Dirk F. E. (eds.). Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (Cloffa), Volume I. 1984, p. 59-60.
GREENWOOD, P. H.; THOMSON, K. S. The pectoral anatomy of Pantodon buchholzi Peters (a freshwater flying fish) and the related Osteoglossidae. Proceedings of the Zoological Socieety of London, 1970, 135: 283-301.
GUO-QING, Li; WILSON, Mark V. H. Phylogeny of Osteoglossomorpha. Interrelationships of Fishes. In: STIASSNY, MELANIE L. J.; PARENTI, Lynne R.; JOHNSON, G. David (eds.). Interrelationships of Fishes. Academic Press 1996, pp. 163-174.
HANEL, Lubomír; NOVÁK, Jindřich. Proměnlivost a pohlavní rozdíly motýlkovce afrického. AT XXIV, 1981, 3: 10-11.
HANEL, Lubomír; NOVÁK, Jindřich. Note on the butterflyfish (Pantodon Buchholzi, Pisces, Pantodontidae). Věstník Československé společnosti zoologické, 1979, 43.2: 104-106.
HANEL, Lubomír; NOVÁK, Jindřich. Further note on the butterflyfish (Pantodon Buchholzi, Pisces, Pantodontidae). Věstník Československé společnosti zoologické, 1982, 46.2: 81-84.
KERSHAW, DIANA R. The cranial osteology of the ‘butterfly fish’, Pantodon buchholzi Peters. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1970, 49.1: 5-19.
LAVOUÉ, Sébastien, et al. Remarkable morphological stasis in an extant vertebrate despite tens of millions of years of divergence. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 2011, 278.1708: 1003-1008.
RÁB, Petr, et al. Karyotype and Mapping of Repetitive DNAs in the African Butterfly Fish Pantodon buchholzi, the Sole Species of the Family Pantodontidae. Cytogenetic and genome research, 2016, 149.4: 312-320.
ROBERTS, Tyson R. Geographical distribution of African freshwater fishes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 1975, 57.4: 249-319.
SAIDEL, William M. Coherence in nervous system design: the visual system of Pantodon buchholzi. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2000, 355.1401: 1177-1181.
SAIDEL, William M.; STRAIN, Gabriel F.; FORNARI, Shannon K. Characterization of the aerial escape response of the African Butterfly Fish, Pantodon buchholzi Peters. Environmental biology of fishes, 2004, 71.1: 63-72.
STAROSCIAK, A. K., et al. Fast and singular muscle responses initiate the startle response of Pantodon buchholzi (Osteoglossomorpha). Brain, behavior and evolution, 2008, 71.2: 100-114.
TAVERNE, Louis; CAPASSO, Luigi. Osteology and relationships of Prognathoglossum kalassyi gen. and sp. nov.(Teleostei, Osteoglossiformes, pantodontidae) from the marine Cenomanian (upper cretaceous) of En Nammoura (Lebanon)/Osteologie et relations de Prognathoglossum kalassyi gen. et sp. nov.(Teleostei, Osteoglossiformes, Pantodontidae) du Cenomanien marin (Cretace superieur) de En Nammoura (Liban). Cybium, International Journal of Ichthyology, 2012, 36.4: 563-575.
TEUGELS Guy G: Pantodontidae. In: PAUGY, Didier, et al. (ed.). The fresh and brackish water fishes of West Africa 1. 2003, pp. 148-150.
TRILLSAM, P., 1981. Motýlkovec africký, Pantodon buchholzi. AT XXIV, 6: 13-15.

The African or Freshwater Butterfly Fish (Pantodon buchholzi) is a representative of the unique evolutionary lineage that is sister to all other osteoglossiform fishes. This paper describes its unique morpholo­gy, biology, reproduction and also, perhaps surprisingly, points to the very ancient se­paration of two population groups distributed in Nigeria and Congo, respectively, at least 57 million years ago. Genetic differences between these groups are of the same order as between South American arowanas and Asian/Australian bony-tongues, indicating the possibility of another butterflyfish species.