Poecilia sphenops Valenciennes, 1846

Molly

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

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Cyprinodontiformes \| Poeciliidae \| Poeciliinae
Synonyms	Mollienisia sphenops, Gambusia modesta, Gambusia plumbea, ... more
Common names	Black mollie, Liberty mollie, Mexican molly, ... more

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Picture by Mensch, R.

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Main reference

Wischnath, L. 1993. (Ref. 26130)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 6.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 50894); common length : 4.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193)

Environment

Benthopelagic; non-migratory; freshwater; brackish; pH range: 7.5 - 8.2; dH range: 11 - 30

Climate / Range

Tropical; 18°C - 28°C (Ref. 13371); 24°N - 1°S, 101°W - 69°W

Central and South America: Mexico to Colombia. Often confused with Poecilia mexicana (Ref. 1739).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Feeds on worms, crustaceans, insects, plant matter. The black variety (Black molly) is a very popular aquarium fish and is marketed throughout the world (Ref. 1739). In the aquarium it feeds on green algae and also readily accepts dried food (Ref. 1672). Minimum aquarium size 60 cm (Ref. 51539).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Data deficient (DD)	Harmless

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

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

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm<1; multiple spawning per year; Fec=20-150)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low vulnerability (19 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Torres, Armi G.

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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