Poeciliidae
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Poeciliidae
Poeciliidae are a Family (biology), family of freshwater ray-finned fishes of the order Cyprinodontiformes, the tooth-carps, and include well-known live-bearing aquarium fish, such as the guppy, Poecilia, molly, Platy (fish), platy, and Green swordtail, swordtail. The original distribution of the family was the Southeastern United States to north of Río de la Plata, Argentina. Due to release of aquarium specimens and the widespread use of species of the genera ''Poecilia'' and ''Gambusia'' for mosquito control, though, introduced poeciliids can today be found in all tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In addition, ''Poecilia'' and ''Gambusia'' specimens have been identified in hot springs pools as far north as Banff, Alberta. Live-bearing All species in the Poecilidae are live-bearers. Differences are seen in the mode and degree of support the female gives the developing larvae. Many members of the family Poeciliidae are considered to be lecithotrophic (the mother prov ...
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Poecilia Reticulata Fry DSC04357 Nevit
''Poecilia'' is a genus of fishes in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. These livebearers are native to fresh, brackish water, brackish and salt water in the Americas, and some species in the genus are euryhaline. A few have adapted to living in waters that contain high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide () and a population of ''Poecilia mexicana, P. mexicana'' lives Cavefish, in caves (other populations of this species are surface-living). Some common and widespread species are often kept as live-bearing aquarium fish, aquarium fish, while other have very small ranges and are seriously Threatened species, threatened. Species in ''Poecilia'' are called ''mollies'' (e. g. ''Poecilia sphenops, P. sphenops'') or ''guppies'' (e. g. ''Poecilia reticulata, P. reticulata'') depending on body shape. ''Micropoecilia'' has been proposed to be included as a subgenus of ''Poecilia''. Taxonomy and etymology ''Poecilia'' was first proposed as a genus in 1801 by the German n ...
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Poecilia
''Poecilia'' is a genus of fishes in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. These livebearers are native to fresh, brackish and salt water in the Americas, and some species in the genus are euryhaline. A few have adapted to living in waters that contain high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide () and a population of '' P. mexicana'' lives in caves (other populations of this species are surface-living). Some common and widespread species are often kept as aquarium fish, while other have very small ranges and are seriously threatened. Species in ''Poecilia'' are called ''mollies'' (e. g. '' P. sphenops'') or ''guppies'' (e. g. '' P. reticulata'') depending on body shape. '' Micropoecilia'' has been proposed to be included as a subgenus of ''Poecilia''. Taxonomy and etymology ''Poecilia'' was first proposed as a genus in 1801 by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider when the described '' Poecilia vivipara'' as a new sp ...
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Gambusia
''Gambusia'' is a large genus of viviparous fish in the family Poeciliidae (order Cyprinodontiformes). ''Gambusia'' contains over 40 species, most of which are principally found in freshwater habitats, though some species may also be found in brackish or saltwater habitats. The genus ''Gambusia'' comes from the Cuban term, "Gambusino", which means "free-lance miner". The type species is the Cuban gambusia, ''G. punctata''. The greatest species richness is in Mexico, Texas, and the Greater Antilles, but species are also found elsewhere in the eastern and southern United States, the Bahamas, Central America, and Colombia. ''Gambusia'' species are often called topminnows, or simply gambusias; they are also known as mosquitofish, which, however, refers more specifically to two species, '' G. affinis'' and '' G. holbrooki'', which are often introduced into ponds to eat mosquito larvae. As a consequence, they have been introduced widely outside their native range, and frequently become ...
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Poeciliopsis
''Poeciliopsis'' is a genus of poeciliid fishes that primarily are native to Mexico and Central America. The only exceptions are ''P. turrubarensis'' where the range extends into Colombia, and ''P. occidentalis'' where the range extends into Arizona and New Mexico. Species There are currently 24 recognized species in this genus: * '' Poeciliopsis baenschi'' ( M. K. Meyer, Radda, Riehl & Feichtinger, 1986) (Golden livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis balsas'' ( C. L. Hubbs, 1926) (Balsas livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis catemaco'' ( R. R. Miller, 1975) (Catemaco livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis elongata'' ( Günther, 1866) (Elongate toothcarp) * '' Poeciliopsis fasciata'' ( Meek, 1904) (San Jeronimo livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis gracilis'' ( Heckel, 1848) (Porthole livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis hnilickai'' ( M. K. Meyer & Vogel, 1981) (Upper Grijalva livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis infans'' ( Woolman, 1894) (Lerma livebearer) * '' Poeciliopsis latidens'' ( Garman, 1895) (Lowland livebearer) ...
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Live-bearing Aquarium Fish
Livebearers are fish that retain their eggs inside the body and give birth to live, free-swimming young. They are especially prized by aquarium owners. Among aquarium fish, livebearers are nearly all members of the family Poeciliidae and include: guppy, molly, platy, endler’s and swordtails. The advantages of livebearing to the aquarist are that the newborn juvenile fish are larger than newly-hatched fry, have a lower chance of mortality and are easier to care for. Unusual livebearers include seahorses and pipefish, where the males care for the young, and certain cichlids that are mouthbrooders, with the parent incubating the eggs in the buccal cavity. Common aquarium livebearers Species of interest to aquarists are almost always members of the family Poeciliidae, most commonly guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails, Endler's livebearer, and mosquitofish. Most of these are ovoviviparous, with the developing embryos receiving no nourishment from the parent fish, but ...
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Green Swordtail
The green swordtail (''Xiphophorus hellerii'') is a species of freshwater/brackish fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the southern platyfish or 'platy' (''X. maculatus'') and can crossbreed with it. It is native to an area of North and Central America stretching from Veracruz, Mexico, to northwestern Honduras. Description The male green swordtail grows to a maximum overall length of and the female to . The name 'swordtail' is derived from the elongated lower lobe of the male's caudal fin (tailfin). Sexual dimorphism is moderate, with the female being larger than the male, but lacking the 'sword'. The wild form is olive green in color, with a red or brown lateral stripe and speckles on the dorsal and, sometimes, caudal fins. The male's 'sword' is yellow, edged in black below. Captive breeding has produced many color varieties, including black, red, and many patterns thereof, for the aquarium hobby. All varietie ...
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Poeciliopsis Prolifica
''Poeciliopsis prolifica'', or the blackstripe livebearer, is a species of small freshwater fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to Mexico. It is a viviparous species and the female can have several clutches of young developing internally at the same time, hence the specific name ''prolifica'', from the Latin ''proles'', "offspring" and ''ferax'', "rich, fruitful" in reference to the great number of young produced. Description ''Poeciliopsis prolifica'' is a small, slender silvery fish growing to a maximum length of about for males and for females. Adult males can be told from females by the presence of a gonopodium, an extended rod-shaped anal fin that acts as an intromittent organ to introduce sperm into the female during mating. Distribution and habitat The species is endemic to Mexico where it is only found on the eastern side of the Gulf of California, between the states of Sonora and Nayarit. It is a shallow-water, freshwater fish, tolerant of brackish water and ...
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Poeciliopsis Monacha
''Poeciliopsis monacha'', or the headwater livebearer, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Distribution and habitat ''Poeciliopsis monacha'' is endemic to northwestern Mexico where it is present in the upper reaches of streams and arroyos on the western side of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. Some of these watercourses dry up during the summer and the fish may have to survive in springs and pools. Conditions are harsh in winter in the headwaters of the streams at altitudes of around ; there may be frosts and snow may fall. The fish become torpid at temperatures below about , but there are some hot springs, and water exposed to the sun may warm up during the day. In the summer, no precipitation occurs, much of the water evaporates, and fish may have to survive in dwindling pools where temperatures above about will be lethal. Ecology In addition to the stress factors induced by trying to survive in summer in decreasing a ...
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Poeciliopsis Lucida
''Poeciliopsis lucida'', the clearfin livebearer, is a species of small freshwater fish in the family Poeciliidae. Reproduction is viviparous, and the female can have several clutches of young developing internally at the same time. It is one of several species of small livebearing fish endemic to Mexico that were described in 1960 by the American ichthyologist Robert Rush Miller. Description Female ''Poeciliopsis lucida'' can grow to a maximum length of about and males to . Ecology ''P. lucida'' is a livebreeder, producing live young in batches. The female can carry three batches of young at a time, each at a different stage of development, and batches are born at an average interval of 10.3 days. Maturity in the female is reached at an age of about eight weeks and a length of about . In the laboratory, brother-sister matings have been going on for many years without any sign of diminution of fecundity from inbreeding. ''P. lucida'' can hybridise with ''Poeciliopsis monacha' ...
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Cyprinodontiformes
Cyprinodontiformes is an order (biology), order of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish, comprising mostly small, freshwater fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and Poeciliidae, live-bearers, are included. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes and are occasionally included with them. A colloquial term for the order as a whole is toothcarps, though they are not actually close relatives of the true carps – the latter belong to the superorder Ostariophysi, while the toothcarps are Acanthopterygii. The families of Cyprinodontiformes can be informally divided into three groups based on reproductive strategy: Viviparity, viviparous and Ovoviviparity, ovoviviparous (all species give live birth), and Oviparity, oviparous (all species are egg-laying). The live-bearing groups differ in whether the young are carried to term within (ovoviviparous) or without (viviparous) an enclosing eggshell. Phylogeny, Phylogenetically however, one of the two suborders – ...
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Platy (fish)
Platy is a common name of freshwater fish, freshwater fish in the genus ''Xiphophorus'' that lack a "sword" at the bottom of their tails. This species is a Live-bearing aquarium fish, livebearer, similar to other fish of the family Poeciliidae, such as the guppy and Poecilia, molly. Platies are native to the east coast of Central America and southern Mexico. The two species, the southern platyfish and the variatus platy, have been interbred to the point where they are difficult to distinguish. Most platies now sold in aquariums are hybrids of both species. Platy The platy (''Xiphophorus maculatus'') grows to a maximum overall length of . Sexual dimorphism is slight, the male's caudal fin being more pointed. The anal fin of the male fish has evolved into a gonopodium, a stick-shaped organ used for reproduction. The female southern platyfish's anal fin is fan-shaped. Wild varieties are drab in coloration, lacking the distinctive dark lateral line common to many ''Xiphophorus'' spe ...
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Procatopodidae
Procatopodidae, the African lampeyes, is a family of ray-finned fish in the order Cyprinodontiformes. It was formerly treated as a subfamily (Procatopodinae) of the Poecilidae. Despite containing mostly African genera (including ''Pantanodon''), the South American '' Fluviphylax'' was also placed in it as its own tribe. However, more recent studies have found this treatment to be paraphyletic; Pantanodontidae, Fluviphylacidae, and Procatopodidae are their own families distinct from Poecilidae, and the former two are distinct from Procatopodidae as well. Meanwhile, the Aplocheilichthyinae, previously treated as a separate subfamily of Poecilidae, are known to belong to the Procatopodidae. This family is thought to be the sister group to the clade comprising Aphaniidae and Valenciidae. Abstract Subdivisions The family Procatopodidae is divided into two subfamilies and 14 genera: *Subfamily Aplocheilichthyinae Myers 1928 ** '' Aplocheilichthys'' Bleeker, 1863 * Subfamily Procat ...
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