Platy is a common name of

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the genus ''

Xiphophorus ''Xiphophorus'' is a genus of euryhaline and freshwater fishes in the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes, native to Mexico and northern Central America. The many ''Xiphophorus'' species are all known as platyfish (or platies) and s ...

'' that lacks a "sword" at the bottom of their tails. Both species are

livebearers 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 ...

, similar to other fish of 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 was t ...

, such as the

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 ...

and molly. Platies are native to the east coast of

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

The two species, the

southern platyfish The southern platyfish, common platy, or moonfish (''Xiphophorus maculatus'') is a species of freshwater fish in family (biology), family Poeciliidae of order (biology), order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearing aquarium fish, live-bearer, it i ...

and the

variatus platy The variable platyfish (''Xiphophorus variatus''), also known as variatus platy or variegated platy, is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is native to southern Tamaulipas and north ...

, 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 7.0 cm (2.8 in).

Sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

is slight, the male's

caudal fin 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 ...

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'' species. Platies can have from 20–50 fry (baby fish) at once, as often as once a month. They may also eat their own young.

Variatus platy

The variatus platy (''Xiphophorus variatus'') grows to a maximum overall length of 7.0 cm (2.8 in). In the wild they are olive in color with black marbling or spots on the side of the

caudal peduncle 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 ...

. Large males show blackish blotches on the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

. Unlike some other members of the genus, ''X. variatus'' has no claw at the tip ray. The fourth pectoral ray shows well-developed serrae (i.e. saw-like notches). They typically have 20 to 24 lateral scales, 10 to 12 dorsal rays and two rows of jaw teeth.

Aquarium

Platys are widely used in tropical aquariums. Several different color variations have been developed, such as red, yellow, orange, blue, rainbow (combination of colors) and white. Platys will usually live for around 3 years if your aquarium water parameters are correct. The Platys ideal water parameters are : Water hardness – between 10–28 dGH. Temperature- as low as 15c Subtropical Aquarium Water pH – in range from 6.8 to 8.0

References

{{Authority control Live-bearing fish Ovoviviparous fish Xiphophorus Fish of Guatemala Fish common names

Platy

Variatus platy

Aquarium

See also

References