Misplaced Pages

Guppy: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:36, 8 October 2004 editGurdonark (talk | contribs)90 edits minor factual error, typos← Previous edit Revision as of 21:19, 15 December 2004 edit undoRam-Man (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users53,948 editsm References: Updated ReferencesNext edit →
Line 41: Line 41:


== References == == References ==
*{{ITIS|ID=165903|taxon=Poecilia reticulata|year=2004|date=June 8}}
*"Poecilia reticulata." ''FishBase''. ed. Froese, R. and D. Pauly (04/2004), URL:
*{{FishBase_species|genus=Poecilia|species=reticulata|year=2004|month=April}}
*"Poecilia reticulata." ''ITIS Standard Report''. (]: National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., 2004-06-08). URL:


] ]

Revision as of 21:19, 15 December 2004

For other uses of this word, see Guppy (disambiguation)

Template:Taxobox begin
Template:StatusSecure Template:Taxobox image Template:Taxobox begin placement Template:Taxobox regnum entry Template:Taxobox phylum entry Template:Taxobox classis entry Template:Taxobox ordo entry Template:Taxobox familia entry Template:Taxobox genus entry Template:Taxobox species entry Template:Taxobox end placement Template:Taxobox section binomial simple Template:Taxobox end

The guppy, alternatively guppie (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poecilidae family (females 3 centimetres long, males 2 centimetres long) and is therefore live-bearing. It prefers a hard water aquarium and can withstand a surprising degree of salinity. Its most famous characteristic is its propensity for breeding.

The female guppy is a drab brown in colour. The much smaller male naturally has a colourful caudal fin (tailfin), which has been considerably enhanced in shape and colour by selective breeding.

Rev. JL Guppy discovered this tiny fish in Trinidad in 1866, although the fish was known to German aquarists prior to that time. The guppy escaped from captivity and lives in a feral condition in much of the warmer regions of the world. It has been introduced to some areas to keep down the mosquito population and fight malaria. The guppy can be found in its native habitat in small streams and ponds of virtually any size.

Guppy breeding by aquarists produce 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.

This fish has been introduced to the Netherlands where it lives in the cooling water of the Corus Steelmill near IJmuiden. The result has been extraodinary; the fish thrive and have increased in size. Fishes of 12 cm are the norm.

Over time, many species are assigned a different taxonomic name. The guppy is no exception:

  • Lebistes reticulatus
  • Acanthocephalus guppii
  • A. reticulatus
  • Girardinus guppii
  • G. petersi
  • G. poeciloides
  • G. reticulatus
  • Haridichthys reticulatus
  • Heterandria guppyi
  • Lebistes poecilioides
  • Poecilia poeciloides
  • Poecilioides reticulatus.
  • For now: Poecilia reticulata

References