Guppy
Male (left) and female (right) guppies
Conservation status
Secure
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Cyprinodontiformes Family: Poeciliidae Genus: Poecilia Species: P. reticulata
Binomial name
Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859
Synonyms
Acanthocephalus guppii A. reticulatus Girardinus guppii G. petersi G. poeciloides G. reticulatus Haridichthys reticulatus Heterandria guppyi Lebistes poecilioides L. reticulatus Poecilia poeciloides Poecilioides reticulatus Guppy may stand for: Guppy, a popular aquarium fish: Poecilia reticulata A series of extremely large wide-bodied aircraft that are used to transport oversize cargo. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Guppy-Male-and-Female. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Orders See text The Actinopterygii are the ray-finned fish. ... Families Anablepidae (four-eyed fish) Cyprinodontidae (pupfish) Fundulidae Goodeidae Rivulinidae Poeciliidae (live-bearers) (and others) The Cyprinodontiformes is an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Microcyprini, and comprising mostly small, fresh-water fish. ... Genera Alfaro Belonesox Brachyrhapis Cnesterodon Gambusia (mosquitofishes) Girardichthys Girardinus Heterandria Heterophallus Jenynsia Limia Micropoecilia Phallichthys Phalloceros Phalloptychus Platypoecilus Poecilia (mollies) Poeciliopsis Priapella Pseudoxiphophorus Quitana Xiphophorus (swordtails, platys) Poeciliidae is a family of fresh-water fishes which are live-bearing aquarium fish (they give birth to live young). ... Species (see text) Poecilia Bloch & Schneider, 1801, is a genus of freshwater fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. ... Latin name redirects here. ... Wilhelm Karl Hartwich Peters (April 22, 1815 - April 20, 1883) was a German naturalist and explorer. ... In scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names used for a single taxon. ...

The guppy (Poecilia reticulata), also known as the millionfish,^[1] is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poecilidae family (females 4-6 centimetres long, males 2½–3½ centimetres long) and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing. A vast number of species of fish have been successfully kept in the home aquarium. ... Genera Alfaro Belonesox Brachyrhapis Cnesterodon Gambusia (mosquitofishes) Girardichthys Girardinus Heterandria Heterophallus Jenynsia Limia Micropoecilia Phallichthys Phalloceros Phalloptychus Platypoecilus Poecilia (mollies) Poeciliopsis Priapella Pseudoxiphophorus Quitana Xiphophorus (swordtails, platys) Poeciliidae is a family of fresh-water fishes, which are ovo-viviparous (they give birth to live young; see also live-bearing aquarium... Guppy Fry 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. ...

Taxonomy

Robert John Lechmere Guppy discovered this tiny fish in Trinidad in 1866, and the fish was named Girardinus guppii in his honour by Albert C. L. G. Gunther later that year. However, the fish had previously been desc America. Although Girardinus guppii is now considered a junior synonym of Poecilia reticulata, the common name "guppy" still remains. (In Trinidad and Tobago, the common name is "crayfish".)^[2] Over time guppies have been given a variety of taxonomic names, although Poecilia reticulata is the name currently considered to be valid. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... For other uses, see Trinidad (disambiguation). ... Albrecht Carl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther. ... In zoological nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names that pertain to the same taxon, for example two names for the same species. ... Taxonomy, sometimes alpha taxonomy, is the science of finding, describing and naming organisms, thus giving rise to taxa. ...

Distribution

Guppies are native to Trinidad and parts of South America, specifically Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, and Venezuela.^[3] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

However, guppies have been introduced to many different countries on all continents, except Antarctica. Sometimes this has occurred accidentally, but most often as a means of mosquito control, the hope being that the guppies would eat the mosquito larvae slowing down the spread of malaria. In many cases, these guppies have had a negative impact on native fish faunas.^[4] For other uses, see Mosquito (disambiguation). ... Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. ... Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ...

Ecology and behaviour

Guppies exhibit sexual dimorphism. While wild-type females are grey in body colour, males have splashes, spots, or stripes that can be yellow, orange, blue, red, black, or even purple. Female (left) and male Common Pheasant, illustrating the dramatic difference in both color and size, between the sexes Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. ...

Guppies are often bred for their natural colour, so over the years the domestic guppy has grown weaker. As a result, guppies will sometimes die after 2-3 days. A guppy may not survive a sudden increase or drop in temperature.

There is a great deal of variety between the populations, many with distinctive coloring or patterning. Those that live in habitats where predators are common tend to be less vividly decorated as a protective measure. Populations that deal with fewer predators are much more colorful. Recent studies suggest that vividly colored males are favored via sexual selection (handicap principle) while natural selection via predation favors subdued tones. As a result, the dominant phenotypes observed within a reproductively isolated community are a function of the relative importance each factor has in a particular environment. The handicap principle is an idea proposed by the Israeli biologist Amotz Zahavi. ... For other uses, see Natural selection (disambiguation). ... Individuals in the mollusk species Donax variabilis show diverse coloration and patterning in their phenotypes. ...

Occasionally male guppies may behave aggressively towards each other, engaging in fin-nipping and other bullying behaviour. Guppies live in complex social networks, choosing social partners and remembering them.^[5]

Guppies are a seminal species for evolutionary biologists because predation often varies over small geographic areas. Both historical work and recent studies are summarised in Anne Magurran's Evolutionary Ecology: the Trinidadian Guppy.

Reproduction

A baby Guppy in an aquarium at 1 week old

Guppies are highly prolific livebearers^[6]. The gestation period of a guppy is 21-30 days, with an average of 28 days. After the female guppy is inseminated, a dark area near the anus, known as the gravid spot, will enlarge and darken. Guppies prefer water temperatures of about 27 °C (82 °F) for reproduction. The female guppy has drops of between 2-100 fry, typically ranging between 30 and 60. From the moment of birth, each fry swims to the water surface to take its first breath of oxygen, and is fully capable of swimming, eating, and avoiding danger. After giving birth, the female is ready for conception again within only a few hours. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1668x1500, 623 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Guppy Live-bearing aquarium fish Poeciliidae Spawning User:Nevit Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1668x1500, 623 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Guppy Live-bearing aquarium fish Poeciliidae Spawning User:Nevit Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from... The Gestation period in a viviparous animal refers to the length of its pregnancy. ... Frog spawn Spawning is the production or depositing of large quantites of eggs in water. ...

Young *fry take roughly one or two months to reach maturity. In the aquarium, they are usually fed ground flake foods or baby brine shrimp.

The guppy has been successfully hybridised with various species of molly (poecilia latipinna/velifera), eg male guppy and female molly. However, the hybrids are always males and appear to be infertile. See 9. of references below for scientific artcle and photo of guppy-molly hybrid. Binomial name Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821) Compatibility: Mollies are nice peaceful fish. ...

The guppy has also been hybridised with the Endler's livebearer (poecilia wingei) to produce fertile offspring. Binomial name Poeser, Kempkes, & Isbrücker, 2005 Poecilia wingei, known to aquarists as Endlers guppy or Endlers livebearer is a species of fish in the genus Poecilia, native to the Paria Peninsula, Venezuela. ...

The adult guppies sometimes eat their *fries. Some breeders use a breeder cage to prevent that from happening.

• fries are babies

In the aquarium

Guppy standards

The guppy prefers a hard water aquarium and can withstand levels of salinity up to 150% that of normal sea water.^[7], which has led to them being occasionally included in marine tropical community tanks, as well as in freshwater tropical tanks. Guppies are generally peaceful, though nipping behaviour is sometimes exhibited between male guppies or towards other top swimmers like platys and swordtails and occasionally other fish with prominent fins such as angelfish. Its most famous characteristic is its propensity for breeding, and it can breed in both fresh water and marine aquariums.^[8] Image File history File links Guppy-standards-grafik. ... Image File history File links Guppy-standards-grafik. ... The hardness of the water results in a calcification Hard water is water that has a high mineral content (contrast with soft water), usually consisting of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions, and possibly including other dissolved metals, bicarbonates, and sulfates. ... “Aquaria” redirects here. ... Annual mean sea surface salinity for the World Ocean. ... Sea water is water from a sea or ocean. ... Species (see text) Xiphophorus Heckel, 1848, is a genus of freshwater fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. ... Binomial name Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel, 1848 The green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. ... Binomial name Pterophyllum altum (Pellegrin, 1903) Pterophyllum leopoldi (Gosse, 1963) Pterophyllum scalare (Lichtenstein, 1823) Freshwater angelfish are cichlids that originate around the Amazon River basin with a striking, elongated vertical body shape and long extended dorsal and anal fins. ...

Guppy breeding by aquarists produces variations in appearance ranging from color consistency to fantails and "spike" swordtails. Selective breeding has created an avid "fancy guppy" collector group, while the "wild" guppy maintains its popularity as one of the hardiest aquarium fish, as well as a good fish to feed to predator fish as a natural food source.

Experienced aquarists breeding their own guppies are aware that the adults will eat their young and, therefore, provide safe zones for the fry. Specially designed livebearer birthing tanks, which can be suspended inside the aquarium, are available from aquatic retailers. These serve the dual purpose of shielding the pregnant female from further attention from the males, and of providing a separate area for the newborn young as protection from being eaten by their mother. However, if a female is put in the breeder box too early or too late it will cause her to have a miscarriage.

See also

• Poecilia wingei, the Endler guppy
• Micropoecilia picta, the swamp guppy

Binomial name Poeser, Kempkes, & Isbrücker, 2005 Poecilia wingei, known to aquarists as Endlers guppy or Endlers livebearer is a species of fish in the genus Poecilia, native to the Paria Peninsula, Venezuela. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Poecilia reticulata

• Poecilia reticulata (TSN 165903). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on June 8, 2004.
• "Poecilia reticulata". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. April 2004 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2004.
• Guppies.com

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish. ...

References

9. Scientific study and photo of Hybrids between mollies and guppies, see: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/reprint/17/6/597.pdf Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

10. Photo of guppy and molly hybrid is documented in book: Innes "Exotic Aquarium Fishes".

Further reading

• Houde, A. E. (1997). Sex, Color, and Mate Choice in Guppies. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 224 p. ISBN 0691027897.