Sailfin molly

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Sailfin molly
Male

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. latipinna
Binomial name
Poecilia latipinna
(Lesueur, 1821)[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Mollienesia latipinna Lesueur, 1821
  • Poecilia multilineata Lesueur, 1821
  • Poecilia lineolata Girard, 1858
  • Limia poeciloides Girard, 1858
  • Limia matamorensis Girard, 1859

The sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) is a

mangrove swamps
) with a regular inflow of oceanic minerals and nutrients mixing with inland freshwater sources.

Taxonomy

The sailfin molly was originally described in 1821 as Mollienesia latipinna by the naturalist

Johann Gottlob Schneider
(1801) with regards to Mollienesia by Lesueur (1821), thereby relegating Mollienesia to the synonymy of Poecilia.

Names

Some names for the sailfin molly in other languages include Breitflossenkärpfling (German), seilfinnemolly (Norwegian), zeilvinkarper (Dutch), leveäevämolli (Finnish), molinezja szerokopłetwa (Polish), bubuntis (Tagalog), and molliénésie á voilure or simply "molly voile" (French).

Some confusion occurs with the

Yucatan molly, P. velifera. While most names that contain a "sail" element refer to the present species, the German Segelkärpfling, the Latin velifera, and possibly others are used for the Yucatan molly. The French terms are used for both species indiscriminately. [3][permanent dead link
]

The sailfin molly is also commonly sold in aquarium stores under the name "molly".

Geographical distribution

The sailfin molly is found in freshwater and brackish habitats from North Carolina to Texas and the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Preferring coastal marshes fed by lowland streams, as well as mangrove swamps, deltas and estuaries, the sailfin molly is very common in peninsular Florida and around the entire Gulf of Mexico. Invasive and introduced populations have been established in

Alberta, Canada.[9]

Habitat

Sailfin mollies are most commonly observed at the shallow surface waters along the edges of

ephemeral water bodies such as roadside ditches. Small to large aggregations
of the species are most commonly found under floating vegetation or near structures in the water, minimizing their chances of being observed by potential predators.

The sailfin molly is a

ppt[10] and breeding in brackish waters
.

Biology

Distinctive features

The body of the sailfin molly is essentially

dorsally flattened, with a small, upturned mouth. The caudal peduncle is broad and the caudal fin is large, rounded, and sometimes tipped with black. The pelvic fins originate at a point anterior to the dorsal fin. In mature males, the dorsal fin is greatly enlarged (it is this feature that gives the species its common name) and the caudal fin is similarly colourful; these conspicuous secondary sexual features play a role in female mate choices. Females tend to be larger and more plainly colored, a different characteristic to the Poeciliidae. (See: Sexual selection
)

It is a smaller fish than the Yucatan molly (

posterior edge being shortest. The height of the dorsal fin, measured at the posterior edge, is a bit less than the height of the tail. The male molly is more aggressive than the females.[citation needed
]

Coloration

The body is generally light grey, although breeding males may be greenish-blue. Several rows of spots occur along the sides, back, and dorsal fin. Often, these spots blend together, forming stripes. Aquarists have developed many color variations in this species (variation occurs naturally in the wild), with melanistic, leucistic, albino, and speckled forms known.

Sailfin and black mollies

A male midnight molly

An entirely

black molly". The latter originally refers to melanistic breeds of Poecilia sphenops. Midnight mollies actually originated from hybrids
between that and the present species.

As hybridization, like in most Poecilia, is easy between these two species and due to the more spectacular appearance of P. latipinna, such sailfin-black molly hybrids, with males' conspicuous, large, yellow-rimmed dorsal fins, are often seen. Due to

genomic recombination, F1 hybrids
often display novel and bizarre fin shapes. Otherwise, hybrids can be bred among themselves, or with a higher rate of success with their parent species. They often have a somewhat decreased lifespan, but not as much (in healthy fish) as the deformed "balloon" molly breeds of P. sphenops.

Size, age, and growth

The natural lifespan of sailfin mollies is short, particularly in the case of the males, which may live less than a year after achieving sexual maturity. Depending upon environmental conditions, sailfin mollies may become reproductive in less than a year. Sailfin mollies are small fish. At one year of age, males typically range in size from 0.5 to 3 in (13 to 76 mm) SL, while mature females are likely to be 0.5 to 2.5 in (13 to 64 mm) inch SL. The size of adult males is directly correlated with population density. The greater the population, the smaller the average size of males.[citation needed] The maximum recorded size for this species is 150 mm (5.9 in) TL.[6]

Diet

Sailfin mollies feed primarily upon algae and other plant materials, although they will consume a number of aquatic invertebrates, including the larvae of mosquitoes.

Reproduction

Fertilization is

live young, depending on maturity and size, and females may store sperm long after the demise of their relatively short-lived mates. The gestation
period for this species is about three to four weeks, depending upon temperature, and a single female may give birth on multiple occasions throughout the year. Although sex ratios of the broods are balanced, adult populations tend to be largely female, as males appear to suffer higher rates of mortality due to a greater susceptibility to predators and disease as a consequence of their brighter colours and a life devoted to frenzied breeding. No parental care is exhibited by this species.

Predators

Sailfin mollies are members of the lower end of the food chain. As such, they are prey for various animals, including aquatic insects, other fishes, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. Specific examples include: giant water bugs (Belostomatidae), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), snowy egret (Egretta thula), and raccoon (Procyon lotor).

Parasites

The

parasite of the sailfin molly,[11][12][13] as is the ciliated protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis,[14] which causes the disease commonly known as freshwater white spot, freshwater ich, or freshwater ick.[15]

Importance to humans

The sailfin molly, in its many color varieties, is of considerable interest and value to

pests
.

Conservation

This species is listed as "

Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).[1]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T191748A58335451.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Poecilia latipinna". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  3. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Poecilia latipinna" in FishBase. AugustAyear=2019 2006 version.
  4. ^ "Arizona State Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan". Retrieved May 1, 2006.
  5. ^ Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wetland Assessment for the F- and H-Area Groundwater Remediation Project at the Savannah River Site (March 2004) [1] Archived 2006-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b "Sailfin Molly". Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. Retrieved May 1, 2006.
  7. ^ Glenn F. Black. "Status of the Desert Pupfish, Cypronidon macularius (Baird and Girard), in California". Retrieved May 1, 2006.
  8. ^ "iraq". researchgate. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  9. ^ Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada (2022-03-02). "Fish - Banff National Park". www.pc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  10. ^ "Biota Information System Of New Mexico". Archived from the original on May 27, 2005. Retrieved May 1, 2006.
  11. ^ "Saccocoelioides sogandaresi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  12. ^ Life History of Saccocoelioides pearsoni n. sp. and the Description of Lecithobotrys sprenti n. sp. (Trematoda: Haploporidae) [2]
  13. S2CID 25027297
    .
  14. S2CID 84211711
    .
  15. ^ Francis-Floyd, R. & Reed, P. (1991). "Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (White Spot) Infections in Fish" (PDF). Circular. 920. Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
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