Xiphophorus variatus variatus (Variable Platyfish)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Danish:

Indianerplaty

Common Names in English:

Sunset Platy, Variable Platyfish, Variegated, Variegated Platy

Common Names in Finnish:

Kirjoplaty

Common Names in German:

Hawaii-Hochflosser-Variatus, Hawaii-Pinselhochflosser-Variatus, Hawaii-Pinselschwanz-Variatus, Marygold-Pinselschwanz-Variatus, Papageienplaty, Veränderlicher Spiegelkärpfling

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

雜色劍尾魚, 杂色剑尾鱼

Common Names in Polish:

Zmienniak Wielobarwny

Common Names in Spanish:

Espada De Valles

Description

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Family Poeciliidae

Distribution: low altitudes from eastern United States to northeastern Argentina; also in Africa and Madagascar. Reported to occur in salt waters in coastal areas [1][2]. Pectoral fins placed high on side of body; anterior placement of pelvic fins; pleural ribs on the first several haemal arches; ventral hyphyral forms a bony cap over the anterior facet of the anterior ceratohyal; supraorbital pores modified such that neuromasts are found embedded in fleshy grooves . Gonopodium present or absent. Some species with all-female individuals, their eggs capable of developing when stimulated by the sperm of another species without fertilization. Usually less than 18 cm maximum length . The Fluviophylacine and the Aplocheilichthyinae that were formerly placed in the Cyprinodontidae are now placed here, thus changing the livebearers to subfamily rank Poeciliinae.The family Poeciliidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Cyprinodontiformes. It contains 30 genera and 293 species. It may be found in Brackish , and Freshwater environments and is primarily Secondary freshwater. Many members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are mixed. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. This family may be found from 44° n to 38° s and 115° w to 50° e. Etymology of this family name : Greek, poikilos = with different colours

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Deuterostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Chordonia () - (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Phylum: Chordata () - Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
        Subphylum: Vertebrata () - Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
        Infraphylum: Gnathostomata () - Auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
        Superclass: Osteichthyes () - Huxley, 1880 - Bony Fishes
        Class: Actinopterygii () - Huxley, 1880 - Ray-Finned Fishes
        Subclass: Actinopterygii () - Ray-Finned Fishes
        Infraclass: Actinopteri ()
        Cohort: Clupeocephala ()
        Superorder: Acanthopterygii ()
        Order: Cyprinodontiformes () - Berg, 1940
        Family: Poeciliidae () - Garman, 1895 - Poeciliids
        Genus: Xiphophorus ()
        Specific name: variatus
        Subspecies: variatus
        Scientific name: - Xiphophorus variatus variatus (Meek, 1904)

Unambiguous Synonyms

Platypoecilus Variatus
Platypoecilus variatus Meek, 1904

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Xiphophorus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 63 species and subspecies in this genus:

X. alvarezi (Espada De Clemencia) · X. andersi (Spiketail Platyfish) · X. bimaculatus · X. birchmanni (Sheepshead Swordtail) · X. brevis · X. clemenciae (Coatzacoalcos Swordtail) · X. clemmenciae · X. continens (Short-Sword Platyfish) · X. corteye · X. cortezi (Delicate Roundherring) · X. couchianus (Monterrey Platyfish) · X. couchianus gordoni · X. evelynae (Reticulate Platyfish) · X. gillii · X. gordoni (Cuatro Cienegas Platyfish) · X. gracilis · X. guentheri · X. guntheri · X. heleri · X. helleri · X. hellerii (Green Swordtail) · X. hellerii guentheri · X. hellerii strigatus · X. helleri alvarezi (Chiapas Swordtail) · X. helleri brevis · X. helleri guentheri · X. helleri helleri (Green Swordtail) · X. helleri signum · X. helleri strigatus · X. jalapae · X. kallmani · X. kosszanderi · X. maculatus (Southern Platyfish) · X. malinche (Highland Swordtail) · X. marmoratus · X. mayae · X. meyeri (Marbled Swordtail) · X. milleri (Catemaco Platyfish) · X. mixei (Mixe Swordtail) · X. montezuma (Mexican Swordtail) · X. montezumae (Montezuma Swordtail) · X. montezumae birchmanni (Sheepshead Swordtail) · X. montezumae cortezi (Delicate Swordtail) · X. montezumae montezumae · X. monticolus · X. multilineatus · X. nezahualcoyoti · X. nezahualcoyotl (Mountain Swordatail) · X. nezahualcoyotl rauchenberger, · X. nigrensis (Panuco Swordtail) · X. pygmaeus (Dwarf Swordtail) · X. pygmaeus nigrensis (Panuco Swordtail) · X. rachovii · X. roseni · X. signum · X. strigatus · X. variatus (Variable Leatherjacket) · X. variatus evelynae (Reticulate Platyfish) · X. variatus variatus (Variable Platyfish) · X. x · X. xiphidium (Swordtail Platyfish) · X. x platyp helleri x maculatus · X. zachovi

More Info

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Notes

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Identifiers

Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2503752
Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2399318

Footnotes

Lee, D.S., S.P. Platania and G.H. Burgess (1983). Atlas of North American freshwater fishes, 1983 supplement. Occasional Papers of the North Carolina Biological Survey no. 1983-6. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, N.C. 67 p. [back]
Wischnath, L. (1993). Atlas of livebearers of the world. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., United States of America. 336 p. [back]