Costa Rica Molly
| Costa Rica Molly | ||||||||||||
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Costa Rican Molly ( Poecilia gillii ), female |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Poecilia gillii | ||||||||||||
| ( Kner , 1863) |
The Costa Rican molly ( Poecilia gillii ) is a member of the viviparous toothcarps and the most common freshwater fish in Costa Rica .
features
Specimens of the Costa Rican molly from brackish water populations reach a length of up to 10.5 cm, in higher-lying waters the fish remain significantly smaller. The Kärpfling is quite variable in its large distribution area. The head and body of the fish are gray and shimmer bluish in the light. There are numerous rows of yellow dots on the sides of the body, in females from brackish water populations the dots can also be black. The dorsal fin has black points or spots at the base and is elongated in some males. The base of the caudal fin is variably pigmented in black, from individual points to irregular spots to a large, coherent spot. The caudal fin of some males has a yellow border. The other fins are yellowish in color.
Occurrence and way of life
The Molly inhabits a large part of Central America . It occurs both on the Pacific slope between Guatemala and Panama and on the Atlantic slope between Honduras and Colombia . It colonizes all types of water from the brackish water zone to heights of over 1000 m. In Costa Rica it lives in swamps, brooks and shallow waters, the largest populations are in stagnant waters. Costa Rican Mollys usually stay close to the ground, where they rummage through the mud in search of food. They feed mainly on algae and detritus . The water temperatures are between 19 and 37 ° C.
Costa Rican molly females give birth to live young approximately every 30 days. The reproduction takes place throughout the year, most of the juvenile fish are there in August.
Systematics
Due to the variable appearance, some species have already been described, which were later declared to be synonyms of Poecilia gillii , and Poecilia gillii was also declared to be a synonym for the black-mouthed fish ( Poecilia sphenops ). In addition to Poecilia sphenops , Poecilia salvatoris and Poecilia mexicana are closely related species.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fred N. Poeser: Geographic variation in Poecilia Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (Teleostei: Poeciliidae), with description of three new species and designation of lectotypes for P. dovii Günther, 1866 and for P. vandepolli van Lidth de Jeude, 1887. In: Proceedings of The Biological Society of Washington 116, 1993, pp. 356-379.
- ↑ Donn Eric Rosen, Reeve M. Bailey: The Poeciliid Fishes (Cyprinodontiformes), Their Structure, Zoogeography and Systematics. In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 126, New York 1963, p. 49.
literature
- William A. Bussing: Peces de las aguas continentales de Costa Rica / Freshwater fishes of Costa Rica. 2nd Edition. Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica 1998, ISBN 978-9977670744 .
Web links
- Costa Rica Molly on Fishbase.org (English)