''Limia islai'', also known as the tiger limia, is a species of fish within the family

Poeciliidae The Poeciliidae are a family of freshwater fishes of the order Cyprinodontiformes, the tooth-carps, and include well-known live-bearing aquarium fish, such as the guppy, molly, platy, and swordtail. The original distribution of the family wa ...

. This species is one of several ''

Limia ''Limia'' is a genus of livebearing fishes belonging to the Cyprinodontiform family Poeciliidae, which includes other livebearers such as platys, swordtails (genus ''Xiphophorous''), guppies and mollies (genus ''Poecilia''). They are found in ...

'' that are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Lake Miragoâne,

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

Description

''Limia islai'' can be distinguished by almost all other ''

'' species by the presence of black vertical stripes across the fishes body. The only other ''Limia'' species to possess a similar striping is '' Limia nigrofasciata.'' Stripes are present on both male and female members of ''L. islai''. The number of stripes on an individual fish can vary between 4 and 12. ''Limia islai'' have slender bodies which are olive green in colour and fish possess yellow pigment in their snout and fins.

Distribution and habitat

''Limia islai'' is endemic to Haiti, where the species is restricted to the

Tiburon Peninsula The Tiburon Peninsula (french: Péninsule de Tiburon), or The Xaragua Peninsula, simply "the Tiburon" (''le Tiburon''), is a region of Haiti encompassing most of Haiti's southern coast. It starts roughly at the southernmost point of the Haiti-D ...

of Southwest Haiti. This species has only been recorded in the coastal Lake Miragoâne. The lake is freshwater and reaches a maximum depth of 45 meters. The habitat consists of aquatic vegetation and a muddy substrate.

Reproduction

Unlike the similarly striped ''L. nigrofasciatata'' which mates via

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private ...

'', Limia islai'' will sneak up on their females in order to thrust their

gonopodium Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

into them and mate. ''Limia islai'' is a

livebearer Livebearers are aquarium fish that retain the eggs inside the body and give birth to live, free-swimming young. Among aquarium fish, livebearers are nearly all members of the family Poeciliidae and include guppies, mollies, platies and swordta ...

, which reproduces via internal fertilization and gives birth to live young. Mated females will release between 5 and 20 fry per pregnancy.

Etymology

The word ''Limia'' is derived from the Latin word "limus", which means mud. This refers to a Limias feeding habit of searching through mud. The word Islai however is reference to the first person to introduce the species in the aquarium hobby, Dominic Isla.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q113549589 IUCN Red List critically endangered species islai Vertebrates of Haiti Fish described in 2020