Poecilia

Poecilia is a genus of fishes in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. These livebearers are native to fresh, brackish and salt water in the Americas, and some species in the genus are euryhaline. A few have adapted to living in waters that contain high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide and a population of P. mexicana lives in caves.
Some common and widespread species are often kept as aquarium fish, while other have very small ranges and are seriously threatened. Species in Poecilia are called mollies or guppies depending on body shape.
Micropoecilia has been proposed to be included as a subgenus of Poecilia.

Taxonomy and etymology

Poecilia was first proposed as a genus in 1801 by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider when the described Poecilia vivipara as a new species. P. vivipara was subsequently designated as the type species of the genus by Pieter Bleeker in 1864. It is the type genus of the subfamily Poeciliinae and of the family Poeciliidae. Poecilia refers to the Greek word poikilos, which means "variegated" or "speckled", an allusion to the coloration and pattern of the type species, as well as that of and other related fishes, such as Fundulus heteroclitus which Bloch & Schneider classified in this genus.

In aquaria

Fish of this genus have extremely variable coloration and have been selectively bred to create many different varieties. The most commonly kept species are guppies '', mollies, and Endler's livebearers. Members of the genus readily hybridize with each other and so most commercially offered fish are hybrids.
They are easy to sex as males have a prominent gonopodium, a modified anal fin used to inseminate females. They mature quickly and breed readily, with females giving birth to a dozen or more fry every month. Some poecilids are cannibalistic and will eat any of their fry that are unable to flee in time.

Species

The following species are recognized in the genus Poecilia:Poecilia akroa Figueiredo & Moreira, 2018Poecilia araguaiensis Poecilia bifurca Poecilia boesemani Poeser, 2003Poecilia branneri Eigenmann, 1894Poecilia butleri D. S. Jordan, 1889 Poecilia catemaconis R. R. Miller, 1975 Poecilia caucana Poecilia caymanensis Poecilia chica R. R. Miller, 1975 Poecilia dauli M. K. Meyer & Radda, 2000Poecilia dominicensis Poecilia elegans Poecilia formosa Poecilia fuscomaculata Poecilia garnieri Poecilia gillii Poecilia grossidens Poecilia hasemani Poecilia heterandria Poecilia hispaniolana Rivas, 1978 Poecilia hollandi Poecilia hondurensis Poeser, 2011Poecilia immaculata Poecilia islai Poecilia koperi Poeser, 2003Poecilia kykesis Poeser, 2002Poecilia latipinna Poecilia latipunctata Meek, 1904 Poecilia limantouri Jordan & Snyder, 1899 Poecilia mandibularis Poecilia marcellinoi Poeser, 1995Poecilia maylandi M. K. Meyer, 1983 Poecilia mechthildae M. K. Meyer, Etzel & Bork, 2002Poecilia melanogaster Günther, 1866 Poecilia melanonotata Poecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863 Poecilia minima Costa & Sarraf, 1997Poecilia minor Poecilia miragoanensis Poecilia montana Rosen & Bailey, 1963Poecilia nelsoni Poecilia nigrofasciata Poecilia obscura Schories, M. K. Meyer & Schartl, 2009Poecilia ornata Poecilia orri Fowler, 1943 Poecilia pallida Poecilia parae C. H. Eigenmann, 1894 Poecilia pauciradiata Poecilia pertapeh Poecilia perugiae Poecilia petenensis Günther, 1866 Poecilia picta Poecilia reticulata W. K. H. Peters, 1859 Poecilia rivasi Poecilia rositae M. K. Meyer, K. Schneider, Radda, B. Wilde & Schartl, 2004Poecilia salvatoris Regan, 1907 Poecilia sarrafae Bragança & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2011Poecilia scalpridens Poecilia sphenops Valenciennes, 1846 Poecilia sulphuraria Poecilia sulphurophila Poecilia teresae D. W. Greenfield, 1990 Poecilia thermalis Steindachner, 1863 Poecilia tridens Hilgendorf, 1889 Poecilia vandepolli van Lidth de Jeude, 1887Poecilia velifera Poecilia versicolor Poecilia vittata Guichenot, 1843 Poecilia vivipara Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801Poecilia waiapi Bragança, W. J. E. M. Costa & Gama, 2012Poecilia wandae Poeser, 2003Poecilia wingei Poeser, Kempkes & Isbrücker, 2005 Poecilia yaguajali Poecilia zonata
If Poecilia in the wider sense is used then the species would be divided up into subgenera as follows:Poecilia Bloch & Schneider 1801

*Poecilia viviparaAcanthophacelus Eigenmann 1907
* Poecilia kempkesi
* Poecilia obscura
* Poecilia reticulata
* Poecilia wingeiAllopoecilia Hubbs 1924
* Poecilia caucana
* Poecilia dauli Curtipenis Rivas & Myers 1950
* Poecilia elegansLimia Poey 1854
* Poecilia caudofasciata
* Poecilia caymanensi
* Poecilia dominicensis
* Poecilia fuscomaculata
* Poecilia garnieri
* Poecilia grossidens
* Poecilia immaculata
* Poecilia melanogaster
* Poecilia melanonotata
* Poecilia miragoanensis
* Poecilia nicholsi
* Poecilia nigrofasciata
* Poecilia ornata
* Poecilia pauciradiata
* Poecilia perugiae
* Poecilia rivasi
* Poecilia sulphurophila
* Poecilia tridens
* Poecilia versicolor
* Poecilia vittata
* Poecilia yaguajali
* Poecilia zonataMicropoecilia Hubbs 1926
* Poecilia bifurca
* Poecilia branneri
* Poecilia minima
* Poecilia parae
* Poecilia picta
* Poecilia sarrafae
* Poecilia waiapiMollienesia Lesueur 1821
* Poecilia boesemani
* Poecilia butleri
* Poecilia catemaconis
* Poecilia chica
* Poecilia formosa
* Poecilia gillii
* Poecilia hondurensis
* Poecilia koperi
* Poecilia kykesis
* Poecilia latipinna
* Poecilia latipunctata
* Poecilia limantouri
* Poecilia marcellinoi
* Poecilia maylandi
* Poecilia mechthildae
* Poecilia mexicana
* Poecilia nelsoni
* Poecilia orri
* Poecilia petenensis
* Poecilia rositae
* Poecilia salvatoris
* Poecilia sphenops
* Poecilia sulphuraria
* Poecilia teresae
* Poecilia thermalis
* Poecilia vandepolli
* Poecilia velifera
* Poecilia wandaePseudolimia Poeser 2002
* Poecilia heterandriaPsychropoecilia Myers 1935
* Poecilia hispaniolana
* ''Poecilia montana''