Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859

Guppy

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Cyprinodontiformes \| Poeciliidae \| Poeciliinae
Synonyms	Acanthophacelus reticulatus, Girardinus reticulatus, Lebistes reticulatus, ... more
Common names	Guppies, Barbados millions, Queue de voile, ... more

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Main reference

Rodriguez, C.M. 1997. (Ref. 26855)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 3.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 43281); 6 cm SL (female); common length : 2.8 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193)

Environment

Benthopelagic; non-migratory; freshwater; brackish; pH range: 7.0 - 8.0; dH range: 9 - 19

Climate / Range

Tropical; 18°C - 28°C (Ref. 1672); 14°N - 2°N, 67°W - 52°W

South America: Venezuela, Barbados, Trinidad, northern Brazil and the Guyanas. Widely introduced and established elsewhere, mainly for mosquito control, but had rare to non-existing effects on mosquitoes, and negative to perhaps neutral effects on native fishes (Ref. 12217). Africa: Feral populations reported from the coastal reaches of Natal rivers from Durban southwards, as well as in the Kuruman Eye and Lake Otjikoto in Namibia (Ref. 7248). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 8; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 8 - 10

Occurs in warm springs and their effluents, weedy ditches and canals (Ref. 5723). Found in various habitats, ranging from highly turbid water in ponds, canals and ditches at low elevations to pristine mountain streams at high elevations (Ref. 11225). Inhabits slow-flowing or still water near the margin of pools among vegetation (Ref. 44894). Has a wide salinity range but requires fairly warm temperatures (23-24 °C) and quiet vegetated water for survival (Ref. 7248, 44894, 79840). Feeds on zooplankton, small insects and detritus. One of the most popular aquarium fishes with many standardized varieties. Used in genetics research. Female reaches 5 cm SL (Ref. 2847). Males mature at 2 months and females at 3 months of age (Ref. 1672). Aquarium keeping: in groups of 5 or more individuals; minimum aquarium size 60 cm (Ref. 51539). A very popular and widely available species in the aquarium trade. Populations were established prior to the 1970s, undoubtedly the result of thoughtless aquarists discarding unwanted pets (Ref. 44894).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Potential pest

Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: highly commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

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Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm=0.16-0.25; Fec=20-40 with multiple spawning per year)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low to moderate vulnerability (33 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Froese, Rainer

Modified by Musschoot, Tobias

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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