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{{Short description|Family of ray-finned fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Xiphophorus helleri 03.jpg | image_caption = [[Green swordtail]], ''Xiphophorus hellerii'' | taxon = Poeciliidae | authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1831<ref name = VDLEF>{{cite journal | author1 = Richard van der Laan | author2 = William N. Eschmeyer | author3 = Ronald Fricke | name-list-style = amp |year=2014 | title = Family-group names of Recent fishes | url = https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 | journal = Zootaxa | volume = 3882 | issue =2 | pages = 001β230| doi = 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 | pmid = 25543675 | doi-access = free }}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and genera | subdivision = See text }} '''Poeciliidae''' are a [[Family (biology)|family]] of freshwater [[ray-finned fish]]es of the order [[Cyprinodontiformes]], the tooth-carps, and include well-known [[live-bearing aquarium fish]], such as the [[guppy]], [[Poecilia|molly]], [[Platy (fish)|platy]], and [[Green swordtail|swordtail]]. The original distribution of the family was the [[Southeastern United States]] to north of [[RΓo de la Plata]], [[Argentina]]. Due to release of aquarium specimens and the widespread use of species of the genera ''[[Poecilia]]'' and ''[[Gambusia]]'' for mosquito control, though, introduced poeciliids can today be found in all tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In addition, ''Poecilia'' and ''Gambusia'' specimens have been identified in hot springs pools as far north as [[Banff, Alberta]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/FisheriesManagement/documents/CostsAndThreatsOfInvasiveSpeciesInAlberta-Mar-04.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-07-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063453/http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/FisheriesManagement/documents/CostsAndThreatsOfInvasiveSpeciesInAlberta-Mar-04.pdf |archive-date=2013-05-09 }}</ref> == Live-bearing == All species in the Poecilidae are live-bearers. Differences are seen in the mode and degree of support the female gives the developing larvae. Many members of the family Poeciliidae are considered to be [[lecithotrophic]] (the mother provisions the [[oocyte]] with all the resources it needs prior to fertilization, so the egg is independent of the mother), but others are [[matrotrophy|matrotrophic]] (literally "mother feeding": the mother provides the majority of resources to the developing offspring after fertilization). Lecithotrophy and matrotrophy are not discrete traits. Most scientific studies quantify matrotrophy using a matrotrophy index (MI), which is the dry mass of fully developed offspring divided by the dry mass of a fertilized egg.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Kwan|first1=Lucia|last2=Fris|first2=Megan|last3=Rodd|first3=F. Helen|last4=Rowe|first4=Locke|last5=Tuhela|first5=Laura|last6=Panhuis|first6=Tami M.|date=2015-03-12|title=An examination of the variation in maternal placentae across the genusPoeciliopsis(Poeciliidae)|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor.20381|journal=Journal of Morphology|volume=276|issue=6|pages=707β720|doi=10.1002/jmor.20381|pmid=25765517|s2cid=10946526|issn=0362-2525}}</ref> Members of the genus ''[[Poeciliopsis]]'', for example, show variable reproductive life history adaptations. ''[[Poeciliopsis monacha]]'', ''[[Poeciliopsis lucida|P. lucida]]'', and ''[[Poeciliopsis prolifica|P. prolifica]]'' form part of the same [[clade]] within that genus. However, their modes of maternal provisioning vary greatly. ''P. monacha'' can be considered to be lecithotrophic because it does not really provide any resources for its offspring after fertilization - the pregnant female is basically a swimming egg sac. ''P. lucida'' shows an intermediate level of [[matrotrophy]], meaning that to a certain extent the offspring's metabolism can actually affect the mother's metabolism, allowing for increased nutrient exchange. ''P. prolifica'' is considered to be highly matrotrophic, and almost all of the nutrients and materials needed for fetal development are supplied to the oocyte after it has been fertilized. This level of matrotrophy allows ''Poeciliopsis'' to carry several broods at different stages of development, a phenomenon known as [[superfetation]]. Because the space for developing embryos is limited, viviparity reduces brood size. Superfetation can compensate for this loss by keeping embryos at various stages and sizes during development.<ref>Thibault, R. E., and R. J. Schultz. 1978. Reproductive adaptations among viviparous fishes (Cyprinodontiformes Poeciliidae). Evolution 32:320-333.</ref> ''P. elongata'', ''P. turneri'', and ''P. presidionis'' form another clade that could be considered an [[Outgroup (cladistics)|outgroup]] to the ''P. monacha'', ''P.lucida'', and ''P. prolifica'' clade. These three species are very highly matrotrophic - so much so that in 1947, C. L. Turner described the follicular cells of ''P. turneri'' as "pseudo-placenta, pseudo-chorion, and pseudo-allantois".{{citation needed|date=April 2014}} The greater degree of matrotrophy in a species is linked with a higher degree of placentation, including "a thicker maternal follicle, higher degree of vascularization, and greater number of villi in the placenta".<ref name=":0" /> The reason for placental evolution in Poeciliids is controversial, and involves two major groups of hypotheses, adaptive and conflict hypotheses.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Furness|first1=Andrew I.|last2=Avise|first2=John C.|last3=Pollux|first3=Bart J.A.|last4=Reynoso|first4=Yuridia|last5=Reznick|first5=David N.|date=May 2021|title=The evolution of the placenta in poeciliid fishes|journal=Current Biology|volume=31|issue=9|pages=2004β2011.e5|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.008|pmid=33657405|s2cid=232093911|issn=0960-9822|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021CBio...31E2004F }}</ref> Adaptive hypotheses, including the locomotor hypothesis,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Thibault|first1=Roger E.|last2=Schultz|first2=R. Jack|date=June 1978|title=Reproductive Adaptations Among Viviparous Fishes (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae)|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2407600|journal=Evolution|volume=32|issue=2|pages=320β333|doi=10.2307/2407600|jstor=2407600|pmid=28563744|issn=0014-3820}}</ref> Trexler-DeAngelis Model<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Trexler|first1=Joel C.|last2=DeAngelis|first2=Donald L.|date=November 2003|title=Resource Allocation in Offspring Provisioning: An Evaluation of the Conditions Favoring the Evolution of Matrotrophy|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/378822|journal=The American Naturalist|volume=162|issue=5|pages=574β585|doi=10.1086/378822|pmid=14618536|bibcode=2003ANat..162..574T |s2cid=23879988|issn=0003-0147}}</ref> (reproductive allotment), and life-history facilitation,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pires|first1=Marcelo N.|last2=Bassar|first2=Ronald D.|last3=McBride|first3=Kevin E.|last4=Regus|first4=John U.|last5=Garland|first5=Theodore|last6=Reznick|first6=David N.|date=2011-03-24|title=Why do placentas evolve? An evaluation of the life-history facilitation hypothesis in the fish genus Poeciliopsis|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01842.x|journal=Functional Ecology|volume=25|issue=4|pages=757β768|doi=10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01842.x|bibcode=2011FuEco..25..757P |issn=0269-8463}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> broadly suggest that the placenta evolved to facilitate the evolution of another advantageous trait in the fish's environment. The conflict hypothesis suggests the placenta is a nonadaptive byproduct of genetic "tug-o-war" between the mother and the offspring for resources.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Crespi|first1=Bernard|last2=Semeniuk|first2=Christina|date=May 2004|title=Parent-Offspring Conflict in the Evolution of Vertebrate Reproductive Mode|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/382734|journal=The American Naturalist|volume=163|issue=5|pages=635β653|doi=10.1086/382734|pmid=15122484|bibcode=2004ANat..163..635C |s2cid=13491275|issn=0003-0147}}</ref> [[Image:Poecilia reticulata Fry DSC04357 nevit.jpg|thumb|250px|none|One-week-old fry of ''P. reticulata'' (guppy)]] ==Taxonomy== Until recently, the egg-laying African [[killifish]] (genera now placed in [[Procatopodidae]] and [[Pantanodontidae]]) were also placed in the Poecilidae. This treatment led to hypotheses that the Poecilidae are an ancient clade that antedate the breakup of [[Gondwana]] (the split between Africa and South America) 100 million years ago, and that live-bearing subsequently evolved in South America.<ref name=":2">Hrbek, T., J. Seekinger, and A. Meyer. 2007. A phylogenetic and biogeographic perspective on the evolution of poeciliid fishes. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''43''':986-998.</ref> However, more recent studies have found this taxonomic treatment to be paraphyletic, and have placed these families outside the Poecilidae. These new taxonomic treatments support that the Poecilidae are much younger than previously thought, are entirely a live-bearing group, and are only native to the Americas.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=BraganΓ§a |first1=Pedro H. N. |last2=Amorim |first2=Pedro F. |last3=Costa |first3=Wilson J. E. M. |date=2018-02-09 |title=Pantanodontidae (Teleostei, Cyprinodontiformes), the sister group to all other cyprinodontoid killifishes as inferred by molecular data |url=https://zse.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=22173 |journal=Zoosystematics and Evolution |language=en |volume=94 |issue=1 |pages=137β145 |doi=10.3897/zse.94.22173 |issn=1860-0743 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=CAS - Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes |url=https://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=researcharchive.calacademy.org |language=en}}</ref> Poeciliids colonized North America through the [[Antilles]], while they were connected 44 million years ago. Poeciliids then moved to Central America by the [[Caribbean Plate#First American land bridge|Aves land bridge]] on the [[Caribbean Plate]]. When South America connected to Central America three million years ago, some further dispersal southward occurred, but South American species did not move into Central America.<ref name=":2" /> === Genera === The family is divided into [[Subfamily|subfamilies]] and [[Tribe (biology)|tribe]]s as follows:<ref name="VDLEF" /><ref name=":22" /> * Subfamily [[Poeciliinae]]<ref>Bonaparte, 1831 (Livebearers)</ref> ** Tribe [[Alfarini]]<ref name=":5">[[Carl Leavitt Hubbs|Hubbs]], 1924</ref> ***Genus ''[[Alfaro (fish)|Alfaro]]''<ref>[[Seth Eugene Meek|Meek]], 1912</ref> ** Tribe [[Gambusini]]<ref>[[Theodore Nicholas Gill|Gill]], 1889</ref> ***Genus ''[[Belonesox]]''<ref>[[Rudolf Kner|Kner]], 1960</ref> ***Genus ''[[Brachyrhaphis]]''<ref name=":6">Regan, 1913</ref> ***Genus ''[[Gambusia]]''<ref name=":7">[[Felipe Poey|Poey]], 1854</ref> ***Genus ''[[Heterophallus]]''<ref>Regan, 1914</ref> ** Tribe [[Heterandriini]]<ref name=":5" /> ***Genus ''[[Heterandria]]''<ref>[[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]], 1853</ref> ***Genus ''[[Neoheterandria]]''<ref name=":8">[[Arthur Wilbur Henn|Henn]], 1916</ref> ***Genus ''[[Poeciliopsis]]''<ref name=":6" /> ***Genus ''[[Priapichthys]]''<ref name=":6" /> ***Genus ''[[Pseudopoecilia]]''<ref name=":6" /> ***Genus ''[[Xenophallus]]''<ref name=":5" /> ** Tribe [[Poeciliini]]<ref>Bonaparte, 1931</ref> *** Genus ''[[Limia]]''<ref name=":7" /> *** Genus ''[[Micropoecilia]]''<ref>Hubbs, 1926</ref> *** Genus ''[[Pamphorichthys]]''<ref name=":6" /> *** Genus ''[[Phallichthys]]''<ref name=":5" /> *** Genus ''[[Poecilia]]''<ref>[[Marcus Elieser Bloch|Bloch]] & [[Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider|Schneider]], 1801</ref> *** Genus ''[[Xiphophorus]]''<ref>[[Johann Jakob Heckel|Heckel]], 1848</ref> ** Tribe [[Cnesterodontini]]<ref name=":5" /> *** Genus ''[[Cnesterodon]]''<ref>[[Samuel Garman|Garman]], 1895</ref> *** Genus ''[[Phalloceros]]''<ref name=":9">[[Carl H. Eigenmann|Eigenmann]], 1907</ref> *** Genus ''[[Phalloptychus]]''<ref name=":9" /> *** Genus ''[[Phallotorynus]]''<ref name=":8" /> ** Tribe [[Scolichthyini]]<ref name=":10">[[Donn Eric Rosen|Rosen]], 1967</ref> *** Genus ''[[Scolichthys]]''<ref name=":10" /> *Subfamily [[Tomeurinae]] **Genus ''[[Tomeurus]]''<ref>Eigenmann, 1909</ref> *Subfamily [[Xenodexiinae]] **Genus ''[[Xenodexia]]''<ref name=":11">Hubbs, 1950</ref> == References == * {{FishBase_family|family=Poeciliidae|year=2004|month=October}} * {{ITIS |id=165876 |taxon=Poeciliidae |access-date=4 June 2004}} {{Reflist}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q463057}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Poeciliidae| ]] [[Category:Percomorpha families]] [[Category:Fishkeeping]] [[Category:Freshwater fish of Central America]] [[Category:Freshwater fish of South America]] [[Category:Freshwater fish of Mexico]] [[Category:Freshwater fish of the United States]] [[Category:Live-bearing fish]] [[Category:Ovoviviparous fish]] [[Category:Viviparous fish]] <!--many species in the family--> [[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]
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