Guppy
Guppies have been a staple of the aquarium hobby for generations. Originating in
tropical pools in South America and the Caribbean Islands, these fish are now
available in a wide variety of colors that have been produced by selective breeding
at fish farms. Many guppy keepers may start out with only one or two fish, but
being live bearers with long-term sperm storage, you may be in for a full tank
before long.
Figure: Guppy Fish
Introduction
The guppy (Poecilia reticulata), also known as million fish or the rainbow fish, is
one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most
popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the
family Poeciliidae and, like almost all American members of the family, is live-
bearing. Guppies originate from northeast South America but have been introduced
to many environments and are now found all over the world. They are highly
adaptable and thrive in many different environmental and ecological
conditions. Male guppies, which are smaller than females, have ornamental caudal
and dorsal fins. Wild guppies generally feed on a variety of food sources,
including benthic algae and aquatic insect larvae. Guppies are used as a model
organism in the fields of ecology, evolution, and behavioral.
, Taxonomy
Guppies were first described in Venezuela as Poecilia reticulata by Wilhelm
Peters in 1859 and as Lebistes poecilioides in Barbados by De Filippi in 1861. It
was named Girardinus guppii by Albert Günther in honor of Robert John
Lechmere Guppy, who sent specimens of the species from Trinidad to the Natural
History Museum in London. It was reclassified as Lebistes reticulatus by Regan in
1913. Then in 1963, Rosen and Bailey brought it back to its original
name, Poecilia reticulata. While the taxonomy of the species was frequently
changed and resulted in many synonyms, "guppy" remains the common name even
as Girardinus guppii is now considered a junior synonym of Poecilia reticulata.
Figure 02: Female (left) and male (right) guppies, an ornamental aquarium strain
Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Poecilia
Species: P. reticulata
Guppies have been a staple of the aquarium hobby for generations. Originating in
tropical pools in South America and the Caribbean Islands, these fish are now
available in a wide variety of colors that have been produced by selective breeding
at fish farms. Many guppy keepers may start out with only one or two fish, but
being live bearers with long-term sperm storage, you may be in for a full tank
before long.
Figure: Guppy Fish
Introduction
The guppy (Poecilia reticulata), also known as million fish or the rainbow fish, is
one of the world's most widely distributed tropical fish and one of the most
popular freshwater aquarium fish species. It is a member of the
family Poeciliidae and, like almost all American members of the family, is live-
bearing. Guppies originate from northeast South America but have been introduced
to many environments and are now found all over the world. They are highly
adaptable and thrive in many different environmental and ecological
conditions. Male guppies, which are smaller than females, have ornamental caudal
and dorsal fins. Wild guppies generally feed on a variety of food sources,
including benthic algae and aquatic insect larvae. Guppies are used as a model
organism in the fields of ecology, evolution, and behavioral.
, Taxonomy
Guppies were first described in Venezuela as Poecilia reticulata by Wilhelm
Peters in 1859 and as Lebistes poecilioides in Barbados by De Filippi in 1861. It
was named Girardinus guppii by Albert Günther in honor of Robert John
Lechmere Guppy, who sent specimens of the species from Trinidad to the Natural
History Museum in London. It was reclassified as Lebistes reticulatus by Regan in
1913. Then in 1963, Rosen and Bailey brought it back to its original
name, Poecilia reticulata. While the taxonomy of the species was frequently
changed and resulted in many synonyms, "guppy" remains the common name even
as Girardinus guppii is now considered a junior synonym of Poecilia reticulata.
Figure 02: Female (left) and male (right) guppies, an ornamental aquarium strain
Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Poecilia
Species: P. reticulata
