The Cuban limia (''Limia vittata''), also known as banded limia, Cuban molly, Cuban topminnow or tabai is a species of livebearing freshwater fish from the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 swo ...

. The species is native to Cuba where it was

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

but it has been introduced to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Description

The Cuban limia is olive-green in background colour and has a bluish-grey back, silvery flanks marked with black-edged scales and a white belly. There is a yellow patch close to the vent in fenmles. In the males have the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...

and the

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

are normally yellow-orange in colour marked with blue-black spots. The females have colorless fins which are marked with a few scattered, black freckles. The females grow to over twice the size of the males which can have a

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...

of , and females reach . In structure it is a rather robust species, depressed towards the rear with a rounded tail and it has a compressed head which has a small, oblique mouth with a protruding lower jaw and a protractile upper jaw.

Distribution

The Cuban limia is, as the common name suggests, native to Cuba. It occurs throughout the island of Cuba and the neighbouring

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; ) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Island). The island was ...

. It has been introduced to Hawaii, where it is found on the islands of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

and

, where it is found in the

Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the Kona District on Hawaiʻi Island in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It includes the National Historic Landmarked archaeological site known as the ...

Habitat and biology

Within its native range the Cuban limia inhabits streams, lakes, estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps and can be found in both freshwater and brackish water, or saline water. Its diet consists of worms, crustaceans, insects and plant material. It often forms mixed shoals with species such as sailfin mollies and

mosquitofish The western mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species ...

. A larger female may give birth to up to 50 fry at a time and in a 4–6 week period can produce up to 100 young.

Human uses

This species is present in the

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

trade and a number of colour variations have been bred. It is thought that released aquarium fish are the origin of the population in Hawaii where they have been blamed for impacting the population of native

damselflies Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the win ...

. In Hawaii it has been given the local name ''tabai''.

Taxonomy

The Cuban limia was described by the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Alphone Guichenot Antoine Alphonse Guichenot (31 July 1809 in Paris – 17 February 1876 in Cluny) was a French zoology, zoologist who taught, researched, and participated in specimen collecting trips on behalf of the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' (P ...

in 1853 as ''Poecilia vittata''. A year later the

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

zoologist

Felipe Poey Felipe Poey (May 26, 1799 – January 28, 1891) was a Cuban zoologist. Biography Poey was born in Havana, the son of French and Spanish parents. He spent several years (1804 to 1807) of his life in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau then studied ...

described a fish he named ''Limia cubensis'' and designated this as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

of the genus ''

Limia ''Limia'' is a genus of livebearing fishes belonging to the Cyprinodontiform family Poeciliidae. It comprises 22 described species found in fresh, brackish, saltwater, and hypersaline habitats of the Greater Antilles islands in the Caribbea ...

''. This was a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of Guichenot's ''Poecilia vittata'' and so ''L. vittata'' was considered the valid name.

References

{{Taxonbar, From=Q2394320 vittata

Limia vittata The Cuban limia (''Limia vittata''), also known as banded limia, Cuban molly, Cuban topminnow or tabai is a species of Ovovivipary, livebearing freshwater fish from the Family (Biology), family Poeciliidae. The species is native to Cuba where it w ...