Poecilia kykesis

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Swordtail molly
A 1921 illustration of adult male (top), adult female (bottom), and fry

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Poecilia
Species:
P. kykesis
Binomial name
Poecilia kykesis
Poeser, 2002

Poecilia kykesis, also known as the Usumacinta molly, Petén molly, spiketail molly, or swordtail molly, is a

livebearer
sometimes kept in aquaria.

Taxonomy

Poecilia kykesis belongs to the

gonopodium, both the sailfin and the short-finned molly were placed in the genus Mollienesia, the short-finned species being renamed Mollienesia gracilis.[3]

Rosen and Bailey (1963) placed both species in the genus Poecilia; they simultaneously merged Mollienesia gracilis with Poecilia sphenops. Thus the species originally known as Poecilia petenensis, later Mollienesia gracilis, became a synonym of Poecilia sphenops, while the former Mollienesia petenensis was renamed Poecilia petenensis.[3]

Poeser (2002) saw Rosen and Bailey's renaming as a nomenclatural error; he revalidated the short-finned molly as a separate species under its original name, Poecilia petenensis, while renaming the sail-fin molly Poecilia kykesis to avoid

specific epithet, kykesis, meaning "a mixing"[3] or "confusion" in Greek,[4] refers to this naming polemic.[3]

Meyer et al. argue that the new name is not justified according to nomenclature codes and that the designation Poecilia petenensis, long established in literature, should be maintained for the sailfin species, with the short-finned molly under the name Poecilia gracilis.[5]

Common names for the species include Usumacinta molly,[6] Petén molly, spiketail molly, and swordtail molly.[2]

Naming history
Common name Günther (1866) Regan (1913) Rosen and Bailey (1963) Poeser (2002)
Petén molly Poecilia petenensis Mollienesia gracilis Poecilia sphenops Poecilia petenensis
Swordtail molly Mollienesia petenensis Mollienesia petenensis Poecilia petenensis Poecilia kykesis

Description

P. kykesis males grow to 13 cm in

caudal fin (a "sword").[3][2] P. kykesis has fewer rays in the dorsal fin than P. velifera and more lateral scales than either P. velifera or P. latipinna.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Poecilia kykesis ranges from the

Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico.[3][2] It was reported as an introduced species in the U.S. state of Florida in 1971, probably having escaped from aquaculture or having been released from an aquarium. The fish may have reproduced but apparently did not establish surviving populations, as the species has not been recorded in the United States since 1974.[2]

Like other species from the P. latipinna complex, P. kykesis inhabits lakes, pools,

emergent aquatic plants.[2][7]

Diet

Like other sailfin mollies, Poecilia kykesis is

herbivorous and feeds primarily on cyanobacteria. This dietary preference is posited to have evolved as a result of the transition of the ancestors of the Mollienesia subgenus from freshwater to marine habitats.[8]

Reproduction

Poecilia kykesis is a

livebearer, meaning that females give birth to live young. Unlike in related species, both large and small males exhibit both courtship display and forced insemination behaviors.[9] Every 6-8 weeks the female delivers 10-60 fry, which are 8-12 mm long at birth. The adults rarely predate on the fry. The species readily hybridizes with P. velifera and P. latipinna, producing fertile offspring.[10]

Aquarium husbandry

Poecilia kykesis is peaceful enough to be kept in a community aquarium, though the males will only develop their distinctive sail fin in a spacious one. In captivity it requires a diet of algae and vegetable flakes and, due to its big appetite, good filtration and frequent partial water changes. The fish will nibble on softer-leaved plants, especially if lacking plant matter in their diet. A good plant cover allows some fry to survive to adulthood.[10]

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T132677053A2002427.en
    . Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Nico, Leo; Nielson, Matt (2012). "Poecilia kykesis Poeser, 2002". U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  3. ^
    doi:10.1163/18759866-07004005
    . Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Molly's the word!". Practical Fishkeeping. 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  5. ^ Meyer, Manfred K.; Schneider, Klaus; Radda, Alfred C.; Wilde, Brigitta; Schartl, Manfred (2005), "A new species of Poecilia, subgenus Mollienesia, from upper río Cahabón system, Guatemala, with remarks on the Nomenclature of Mollienesia petenensis Günther, 1866 (Teleostei: Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae)" (PDF), Zoologische Abhandlungen, Dresden, retrieved 20 August 2023
  6. ^ "Poecilia kykesis, Poeser, 2002". FishBase. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  7. ISBN 9780226526041
    . Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  8. ^ Sanchez, Jessica L.; Bracken-Grissom, Heather; Trexler, Joel C. (2019). "Freshwater-to-marine transitions may explain the evolution of herbivory in the subgenus Mollienesia (genus Poecilia, mollies and guppies)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 27 (4): 753. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  9. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01388.x
    . Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  10. ^
    ISBN 3882440538
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poecilia_kykesis&oldid=1205666950"