Poecilia
Encyclopedia
Poecilia is a genus
of euryhaline
brackish water
fish
in family
Poeciliidae
of order
Cyprinodontiformes
. The type species
is P. vivipara. Live-bearers
, the Poecilia species
are collectively known as mollies, with the exception of Endler's livebearer (P. wingei) and the famous guppy
(P. reticulata). Members of this genus are members of the family Poecilidae, which includes the southern platyfish
or "platy" (Xiphophorus maculatus), and the green swordtail
(X. hellerii).
IUCN list two of the species, the sulphur molly
, P. sulphuraria, and the broadspotted molly
, P. latipunctata, as Critically Endangered.
The generic name Poecilia derives from the Greek
ποικίλος (variegated), in reference to the fishes' coloration. Mollies need to live in water that is 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82.4 F).
Mollies come in several different colors and spot patterns, such as black, white, black and white spots, orange, Orange and white spots.
lists 33 species. Recently one new species was added, bringing the total to 34 species:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of euryhaline
Euryhaline
Euryhaline organisms are able to adapt to a wide range of salinities. An example of a euryhaline fish is the molly which can live in fresh, brackish, or salt water. The European shore crab is an example of a euryhaline invertebrate that can live in salt and brackish water...
brackish water
Brackish water
Brackish water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing of seawater with fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root "brak," meaning "salty"...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate 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...
in family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Poeciliidae
Poeciliidae
Poeciliidae is a family of fresh-water fish which are live-bearing aquarium fish . They belong to the order Cyprinodontiformes, tooth-carps, and include well-known aquarium fish such as the guppy, molly, platy, and swordtail...
of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Cyprinodontiformes
Cyprinodontiformes
The Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, comprising mostly small, fresh-water fish. Many popular aquarium fish, such as killifish and live-bearers, are included. They are closely related to the Atheriniformes and are occasionally included with them...
. The type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
is P. vivipara. Live-bearers
Live-bearing aquarium fish
Live-bearing aquarium fish, often simply called livebearers, are fish that retain the eggs inside the body and give birth to live, free-swimming young.-Common aquarium livebearers:...
, the Poecilia species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are collectively known as mollies, with the exception of Endler's livebearer (P. wingei) and the famous guppy
Guppy
The guppy , also known as the millionfish, is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family [females long, males long] and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing....
(P. reticulata). Members of this genus are members of the family Poecilidae, which includes the southern platyfish
Southern platyfish
The southern platyfish, common platy or moonfish is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the green swordtail and can interbreed with it...
or "platy" (Xiphophorus maculatus), and the green swordtail
Green swordtail
The green swordtail is a species of freshwater fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the southern platyfish or "platy" and can crossbreed with it...
(X. hellerii).
Aquaria
Along with their platy cousins, the mollies are part of a pivotal aquaculture group of livebearers, which can live in water from fresh to fully marine, and a wide range of other conditions. They feed on smaller insects, animals, and vegetation.IUCN list two of the species, the sulphur molly
Sulphur molly
The Sulphur molly , locally known as molly del teapa, is a species of fish in the Poeciliidae family. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically to the Baños del Azufre near Teapa, Tabasco. The Baños del Azufre are sulfidic springs that contain high concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide...
, P. sulphuraria, and the broadspotted molly
Broadspotted molly
The Broadspotted molly , locally known as molly del tamesi, is a species of fish in the Poeciliidae family. It is endemic to Mexico.-Source:...
, P. latipunctata, as Critically Endangered.
The generic name Poecilia derives from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
ποικίλος (variegated), in reference to the fishes' coloration. Mollies need to live in water that is 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82.4 F).
Mollies come in several different colors and spot patterns, such as black, white, black and white spots, orange, Orange and white spots.
Species
FishBaseFishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
lists 33 species. Recently one new species was added, bringing the total to 34 species:
- Poecilia amazonica Garman, 1895.
- Poecilia boesemani Poeser, 2003.
- Pacific molly, Poecilia butleri JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
, 1889. - Catemaco molly, Poecilia catemaconis Miller, 1975.
- Cauca mollyCauca mollyThe cauca molly, Poecilia caucana, is a fish in the Poeciliidae family, also called South American molly and Mollieniesia caucana....
, Poecilia caucana (SteindachnerFranz SteindachnerFranz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1880). - Poecilia caudofasciata (Regan, 1913).
- Dwarf molly, Poecilia chica Miller, 1975.
- Poecilia dauli Meyer & Radda, 2000.
- Elegant molly, Poecilia elegans (Trewavas, 1948).
- Amazon mollyAmazon mollyThe Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa, is a freshwater fish which reproduces through gynogenesis. This means although females must mate with a male, genetic material from the male is not incorporated into the already diploid egg cells the mother is carrying , resulting in clones of the mother being...
, Poecilia formosa (GirardCharles Frédéric GirardCharles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard...
, 1859). - Poecilia gillii (Kner, 1863).
- Hispaniola molly, Poecilia hispaniolana Rivas, 1978.
- Poecilia koperi Poeser, 2003.
- Poecilia kykesis Poeser, 2002.
- Sailfin mollySailfin mollyThe sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna, is a species of fish, of the genus Poecilia. They inhabit fresh, brackish, and coastal waters from North Carolina to Texas and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.- Taxonomy :...
, Poecilia latipinna (LesueurCharles Alexandre LesueurCharles Alexandre Lesueur was a French naturalist, artist and explorer.Pictured here is the oil portrait by Charles Willson Peale of Charles-Alexandre Lesueur...
, 1821). - Broadspotted mollyBroadspotted mollyThe Broadspotted molly , locally known as molly del tamesi, is a species of fish in the Poeciliidae family. It is endemic to Mexico.-Source:...
, Poecilia latipunctata Meek, 1904. - Poecilia marcellinoi Poeser, 1995.
- Balsas molly, Poecilia maylandi Meyer, 1983.
- Poecilia mechthildae Bork, Etzel & Meyer, 2002.
- Shortfin molly, Poecilia mexicana SteindachnerFranz SteindachnerFranz Steindachner was an Austrian zoologist.- Work and career :Being interested in natural history, Steindachner took up the study of fossil fishes on the recommendation of his friend Eduard Suess...
, 1863. - Poecilia nicholsi (Myers, 1931).
- Mangrove molly, Poecilia orri Fowler, 1943.
- Peten molly, Poecilia petenensis Günther, 1866.
- GuppyGuppyThe guppy , also known as the millionfish, is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family [females long, males long] and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing....
, Poecilia reticulata PetersWilhelm PetersWilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters was a German naturalist and explorer.He was assistant to Johannes Peter Müller and later curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. In September 1842 he travelled to Mozambique via Angola. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens...
, 1859. - Poecilia rositae Meyer, Radda, Schartl, Schneider & Wilde, 2004.
- Poecilia salvatoris Regan, 1907.
- MollyPoecilia sphenopsPoecilia sphenops is a species of fish, of the genus Poecilia, known under the common name molly; to distinguish it from its congeners, it is sometimes called short-finned molly or common molly. They inhabit fresh water streams and coastal brackish and marine waters of Mexico...
, black molly Poecilia sphenopsPoecilia sphenopsPoecilia sphenops is a species of fish, of the genus Poecilia, known under the common name molly; to distinguish it from its congeners, it is sometimes called short-finned molly or common molly. They inhabit fresh water streams and coastal brackish and marine waters of Mexico...
ValenciennesAchille ValenciennesAchille Valenciennes was a French zoologist.Valenciennes was born in Paris, and studied under Georges Cuvier. Valenciennes' study of parasitic worms in humans made an important contribution to the study of parasitology...
, 1846. - Sulphur mollySulphur mollyThe Sulphur molly , locally known as molly del teapa, is a species of fish in the Poeciliidae family. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically to the Baños del Azufre near Teapa, Tabasco. The Baños del Azufre are sulfidic springs that contain high concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide...
, Poecilia sulphuraria (Alvarez, 1948). - Mountain molly, Poecilia teresae Greenfield, 1990.
- Poecilia vandepolli Van Lidth de Jeude, 1887.
- Yucatan molly, Poecilia veliferaPoecilia veliferaPoecilia velifera, the Yucatan molly, lives in coastal waters of the Yucatan peninsula. These live-bearer fish are particularly well known for both the extreme size variation among males, and the sexual dimorphism between males and females in both body shape and behavior.It is outwardly similar to...
(Regan, 1914). - Poecilia vivipara BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& SchneiderJohann Gottlob SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.-Biography:Schneider was born at Collm in Saxony...
, 1801. - Poecilia wandae Poeser, 2003.
- Endler's livebearer, Poecilia wingeiPoecilia wingeiPoecilia wingei, known to aquarists as Endler's guppy or Endler's livebearer, is a species of fish in the genus Poecilia, native to the Paria Peninsula, Venezuela.-History:...
Isbrücker, Kempkes & Poeser, 2005.