Southern platyfish

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Southern Platyfish

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cyprinodontiformes
Family:	Poeciliidae
Genus:	Xiphophorus
Species:	X. maculatus

Binomial name

Xiphophorus maculatus
(Günther, 1866)

The southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus) is a species of freshwater fish in family Poecilidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the green swordtail (X. helleri) and can interbreed with it. It is native to an area of North and Central America stretching from Veracruz, Mexico, to northern Belize.

Wild form of X. maculatus.

The southern platyfish grows to a maximum overall length of 6.0 cm (2.4 in). Sexual dimorphism is slight, the male's caudal fin being more pointed. Wild varieties are drab in coloration, lacking the distinctive dark lateral line common to many Xiphophorus species.

X. maculatus prefers slow-moving waters of canals, ditches, and warm springs. Omnivorous, its diet includes both plants and small crustaceans, insects, and annelid worms.

Platyfish come in a variety of colors

Breeders have developed a multitude of color varieties which are common aquarium fish for hobbyists.

The southern platyfish is commonly known simply as the platy (pl. platys or platies), from the fish's original generic name, Platypoecilus.

[edit] In the aquarium

Platys are easy to keep and well suited to a community aquarium. They prefer water with a 7.0–8.0 pH, a water hardness of 9.0–19.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 18–25 °C (64–77 °F).

In captivity, they reach maturity in 3–4 months and breed readily, the females giving birth to about 40–50 young at a time.

The fish commonly sold in pet shops is not a pure strain of X. maculatus, but is a hybrid between X. helleri and X. maculatus. In general if the male has a sword shaped tail they are called swordtails. Otherwise they are labeled platy. Color and fin shape vary wildly in the aquarium trade.