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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 was the Southeastern United States to north of Río de la Plata, Argentina, and Africa, including Madagascar. Due to release of aquarium specimens and the widespread use of species of the genera ''Poecilia'' and ''Gambusia'' for mosquito control, though, 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 Although the whole family Poeciliidae is known as "live bearers" (viviparous), some species are egg-scattering with external fertilization. All African species are egg-layers, and (with the exception of the members of the genus ''Tomeurus''), all American species are live ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 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 invasive, threatening local species. They are only occasionally kept in aquariums, due to thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ()Palacios, Arias-Rodriguez, Plath, Eifert, Lerp, Lamboj, Voelker, & Tobler (2013). The Rediscovery of a Long Described Species Reveals Additional Complexity in Speciation Patterns of Poeciliid Fishes in Sulfide Springs.' PLoS ONE 8(8): e71069. 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. All species in ''Poecilia'' are called mollies except for the Endler's livebearer (''P. wingei'') and the well-known guppy (''P. reticulata'') which have a distinctly different body shape from the r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 – ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Live-bearing Aquarium Fish
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 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 mosquito fish. Most of these are ovoviviparous, with the developing embryos receiving no nourishment from the parent fish, but a few are viviparous, receiving food from the maternal bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guppy
The guppy (), also known as millionfish and rainbow fish, is one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae and, like almost all American members of the family, is live-bearing. Guppies originate from northeast South America, but have been introduced to many environments and are now found all over the world. They are highly adaptable and thrive in many different environmental and ecological conditions. Male guppies, which are smaller than females, have ornamental caudal and dorsal fins. Wild guppies generally feed on a variety of food sources, including benthic algae and aquatic insect larvae. Guppies are used as a model organism in the fields of ecology, evolution, and behavioural studies. Taxonomy Guppies were first described in Venezuela as ''Poecilia reticulata'' by Wilhelm Peters in 1859 and as ''Lebistes poecilioides'' in Barbados by De Filippi in 1861. It ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 varieties sha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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) * ''Poec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tomeurus
''Tomeurus gracilis'' is a species of poeciliid fish native to South America, in Brazil, Surinam and Venezuela. This species grows to a length of TL. It is the only known member of its genus. This species is classified in the tribe Cnesterodontini in the 5th edition of Fishes of the World. but other workers place it in its own tribe, the Tomeurini. This is a sociable fish which lives in small schools consisting of several dozens of fishes. It is found in muddy creeks or along the sandy-muddy edges of shallow estuaries. It has been observed remaining still just below the surface but it prefers to hide beneath aquatic plants. Fertilisation is internal and, uniquely among the Poeciliinae, the females may then lay eggs placing them individually onto aquatic plants. They can also be facultively ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing vivip ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poeciliopsis Elongata
''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) * ''Poec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
