Main identification features
- dorsal fin i,6
- mid-flank: black stripe
- belly yellow
- male belly: black dots
Body long and slender; head small, flattened above, pointed; relatively small mouth; jaw teeth very small, conical, very numerous in two rows;11-14 rakers on first gill arch; dorsal fin I,6-7; anal II,7; pectoral 10-12; scales large, smooth, 28-30 along mid-side; tail with central blunt point.; male sex organ with simple, unmodified tip.
Olive yellow; mid-flank and belly bright yellow; a black stripe (bordered above and below by light areas) along mid-flank; 2 strong dark blotches on lower surface of head under front of eye; male with black dots on lower body; female with belly bright yellow to orange; fins clear.
Size: females reach 3.5 cm; males 2cm.
Habitat: freshwater streams and brackish lagoons.
Depth: 0-2 m.
Eastern Gulf of California, Sonora to Nayarit.
Attributes
Abundance: Common.
Cites: Not listed.
Climate Zone: Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap); Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos).
Depth Range Max: 2 m.
Depth Range Min: 0 m.
Diet: zooplankton; detritus; Insects.
Eastern Pacific Range: Northern limit=29; Southern limit=22; Western limit=-112; Eastern limit=-106; Latitudinal range=7; Longitudinal range=6.
Egg Type: Live birth; No pelagic larva; No pelagic phase.
Feeding Group: Carnivore; Planktivore; Detritivore.
FishBase Habitat: Bathypelagic.
Global Endemism: East Pacific endemic; Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic; All species.
Habitat: Estuary; Freshwater; Soft bottom (mud, sand,gravel, beach, estuary & mangrove); Water column.
Inshore Offshore: Inshore; Inshore Only.
IUCN Red List: Not evaluated / Listed.
Length Max: 3.5 cm.
Regional Endemism: TEP endemic; Continental TEP endemic; Cortez + Mexican provinces endemic; Continent only; Continent; All species.
Residency: Resident.
Salinity: Brackish; Freshwater; Non Marine.
Water Column Position: Surface; Mid Water; Bottom; Bottom + water column;
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- Miller, R.R., 1960., Four new species of viviparous fishes, genus Poeciliopsis, from northwestern Mexico., Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool. Univ. Mich., 619:1-11.
- Wischnath, L., 1993., Atlas of livebearers of the world., T.F.H. Publications:336pp.
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