Poecilia sphenops

Poecilia sphenops

Molly, Short-finned molly, Common molly

Kingdom
Phylum
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Poecilia sphenops
Length
4-6
1.6-2.4
cminch
cm inch 

Poecilia sphenops is a species of fish, of the genus Poecilia, known under the common name molly; to distinguish it from its congeners, it is sometimes called short-finned molly or common molly. They inhabit fresh water streams, coastal brackish, and marine waters from Mexico to Colombia. The wild-type fishes are dull, silvery in color. The molly can produce fertile hybrids with many Poecilia species, most importantly the sailfin molly. The male mollies generally tend to be mildly aggressive.

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Mollies rank as one of the most popular feeder fish due to high growth rate, birth size, reproduction, and brood number.

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Appearance

Standard size of male fish is 3.2″ (8 cm) and female fish is 4.8″ (12 cm).

Habits and Lifestyle

Mollies are similar in appearance to their livebearer cousins, the platy, swordtail and guppies; the molly tends to be slightly larger and more energetic. Many aquarists note the stronger individuality and aggression in keeping mollies versus platies, who appear much more docile.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Population

References

1. Poecilia sphenops Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poecilia_sphenops
2. Poecilia sphenops on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/191753/2002434

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