Poecilia Nicholsi

''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 rest of the genus.

''Micropoecilia'' has been proposed to be included as a subgenus of ''Poecilia''.

Etymology, taxonomy and history

Franz Steindachner first described the species in 1863. ''Poecilia'' refers to the Greek word ''poikilos'', which means "with a lot of colours". Common names include "shortfin molly" and "Atlantic molly." The type specimen was found in Orizaba, Mexico.

Aquaria

Fish of this genus have extremely variable coloration and have been selectively bred to create many different varieties. The most commonly kept species are guppies ('' P. reticulata)'', mollies ('' P. sphenops'' or ''P. latipinna''), and Endler's livebearers ('' P. wingei''). Members of the genus readily hybridize with each other and so most commercially offered fish are hybrids (with guppies having some Endler, and mollies being a mix of common and sailfin mollies).

They are easy to sex as males have a prominent gonopodium, a modified anal fin used to inseminate females. They mature quickly and breed readily, with females giving birth to a dozen or more fry every month. Poecilids are cannibalistic and will eat any of their fry that are unable to flee in time (with females often eating the fry they just gave birth to, especially in a cramped aquarium setting).

Species

The 40 currently recognized species in this genus are:
* '' Poecilia boesemani'' Poeser, 2003
* '' Poecilia butleri'' D. S. Jordan, 1889 (Pacific molly)
* '' Poecilia catemaconis'' R. R. Miller, 1975 (Catemaco molly)
* ''Poecilia caucana'' (Steindachner, 1880) (Cauca molly)
* ''Poecilia caudofasciata'' ( Regan, 1913)
* ''Poecilia chica'' R. R. Miller, 1975 (dwarf molly)
* ''Poecilia dauli'' M. K. Meyer & Radda, 2000
* ''Poecilia dominicensis'' ( Evermann & H. W. Clark, 1906)
* ''Poecilia elegans'' ( Trewavas, 1948) (elegant molly)
* '' Poecilia formosa'' ( Girard, 1859) (Amazon molly)
* ''Poecilia gillii'' ( Kner, 1863)
* ''Poecilia hispaniolana'' Rivas, 1978 (Hispaniola molly)
* ''Poecilia hondurensis'' Poeser, 2011
* ''Poecilia kempkesi'' Poeser, 2013Poeser, F.N. (2013)
Apropos Guppys...
''viviparos, Das Lebendgebärenden Magazin, (11) 1: 36-40, 56.'' (In German)
* ''Poecilia koperi'' Poeser, 2003
* ''Poecilia kykesis'' Poeser, 2002
* '' Poecilia latipinna'' ( Lesueur, 1821) (sailfin molly)
* '' Poecilia latipunctata'' Meek, 1904 (broadspotted molly)
* '' Poecilia marcellinoi'' Poeser, 1995
* ''Poecilia maylandi'' M. K. Meyer, 1983 (Balsas molly)
* ''Poecilia mechthildae'' M. K. Meyer, Etzel & Bork, 2002
* '' Poecilia mexicana'' Steindachner, 1863 (shortfin molly)
* '' Poecilia nicholsi'' ( G. S. Myers, 1931)
* '' Poecilia obscura'' Schories, M. K. Meyer & Schartl, 2009
* ''Poecilia orri'' Fowler, 1943 (mangrove molly)
* ''Poecilia parae'' C. H. Eigenmann, 1894
* '' Poecilia petenensis'' Günther, 1866 (Peten molly)
* '' Poecilia reticulata'' W. K. H. Peters, 1859 (guppy)
* ''Poecilia rositae'' M. K. Meyer, K. Schneider, Radda, B. Wilde & Schartl, 2004
* '' Poecilia salvatoris'' Regan, 1907 (Liberty molly)
* ''Poecilia sarrafae'' Bragança & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2011
* '' Poecilia sphenops'' Valenciennes, 1846 (black molly)
* ''Poecilia sulphuraria'' (Álvarez, 1948) (sulphur molly)
* ''Poecilia teresae'' D. W. Greenfield, 1990 (mountain molly)
* ''Poecilia vandepolli'' van Lidth de Jeude, 1887
* '' Poecilia velifera'' (Regan, 1914) (Yucatán molly)
* '' Poecilia vivipara'' Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
* '' Poecilia waiapi'' Bragança, W. J. E. M. Costa & Gama, 2012
* '' Poecilia wandae'' Poeser, 2003
* '' Poecilia wingei'' Poeser, Kempkes & Isbrücker, 2005 (Endler's guppy, Endler's livebearer)

If ''Poecilia'' in the wider sense is used then the species would be divided up into subgenera as follows:

* ''Poecilia'' Bloch & Schneider 1801
**''Poecilia (Poecilia) vivipara''
* ''Acanthophacelus'' Eigenmann 1907
** ''Poecilia (Acanthophacelus) kempkesi''
** ''Poecilia (Acanthophacelus) obscura''
** ''Poecilia (Acanthophacelus) reticulata''
** ''Poecilia (Acanthophacelus) wingei''
* ''Allopoecilia'' Hubbs 1924
** ''Poecilia (Allopoecilia) caucana''
** ''Poecilia (Allopoecilia) dauli''
* ''Curtipenis'' Rivas & Myers 1950
** ''Poecilia (Curtipenis) elegans''
* ''Limia'' Poey 1854
** ''Poecilia (Limia) caudofasciata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) caymanensi''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) dominicensis''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) fuscomaculata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) garnieri''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) grossidens''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) immaculata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) melanogaster''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) melanonotata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) miragoanensis''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) nicholsi''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) nigrofasciata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) ornata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) pauciradiata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) perugiae''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) rivasi''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) sulphurophila''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) tridens''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) versicolor''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) vittata''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) yaguajali''
** ''Poecilia (Limia) zonata''
* ''Micropoecilia'' Hubbs 1926
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) bifurca''
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) branneri''
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) minima''
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) parae''
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) picta''
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) sarrafae''
** ''Poecilia (Micropoecilia) waiapi''
* ''Mollienesia'' Lesueur 1821
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) boesemani''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) butleri''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) catemaconis''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) chica''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) formosa''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) gillii''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) hondurensis''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) koperi''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) kykesis''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) latipinna''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) latipunctata''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) limantouri''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) marcellinoi''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) maylandi''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) mechthildae''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) mexicana''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) nelsoni''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) orri''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) petenensis''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) rositae''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) salvatoris''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) sphenops''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) sulphuraria''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) teresae''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) thermalis''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) vandepolli''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) velifera''
** ''Poecilia (Mollienesia) wandae''
* ''Pseudolimia'' Poeser 2002
** ''Poecilia (Pseudolimia) heterandria''
* ''Psychropoecilia'' Myers 1935
** ''Poecilia (Psychropoecilia) hispaniolana''
** ''Poecilia (Psychropoecilia) montana''

Gallery

File:Dalmatian molly.jpg, A male Dalmatian molly in a community aquarium
File:Malemolly2.jpg, A male black molly
File:Poecilia vivipara.png, ''Poecilia vivipara''
File:Guppy - Poecilia reticulata.jpg, A female guppy (''Poecilia reticulata'')
File:Poecilia reticulata (male).JPG, A male guppy

References

External links

* Poecilla care information

www.mollyfish.com

{{Taxonbar, from=Q310951

Live-bearing fish
Ovoviviparous fish
Freshwater fish genera
Ray-finned fish genera
Taxa named by Marcus Elieser Bloch
Taxa named by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider