The pike topminnow (''Belonesox belizanus''), more commonly known as pike killifish and sometimes referred to as topminnow,
is a species of
poeciliid found from
Mexico to
Nicaragua.
[ It has also been introduced to Florida, USA.][ It is the only known member of its genus. The pike topminnow was described in 1860 by Austrian ]ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...
Rudolf Kner,type locality
Type locality may refer to:
* Type locality (biology)
* Type locality (geology)
See also
* Local (disambiguation)
* Locality (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...
as Belize, which is reflected in this species' specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
.
Ecology
Unlike most poeciliids (which tend to be generalists or micropredators), this is a highly specialized predator, with an extremely flexible upper jaw that enables it to take very large prey items for its size.
Description
It grows typically to total length, exceptionally to .[ It has an elongated appearance with a flat back profile. The lower jaw is longer than the upper, and upturned. The pike topminnow has large eyes and a dorsal fin set far back on the body. It is a light, olive/brown color with light green iridescence and small black spots on the flanks. The belly is a lighter yellowish white. A dark spot is at the base of the caudal fin. They are also a livebearing fish.]
In the aquarium
This fish can be found in the aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''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. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
trade, but is not an easy aquarium resident, especially by poeciliid standards.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1535154
Poeciliidae
Freshwater fish of Mexico
Freshwater fish of Central America
Taxa named by Rudolf Kner
Fish described in 1860
Live-bearing fish