Liberty molly

Short description: Species of fish

Liberty molly

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Cyprinodontiformes
Family:  | Poeciliidae
Genus:  | Poecilia
Species:  |

P. salvatoris

Binomial name
Poecilia salvatoris

Regan, 1907

The liberty molly (Poecilia salvatoris) is a fish species from El Salvador.[1] It is one of the short fin molly species in the Poecilia sphenops complex, and had been often regarded as synonymous with P. sphenops until recently.[2][3][4]

Males and females are colored similarly, but the males' coloration is stronger.[3] The body is silvery but speckled with blue and orange.[3] The fins contain black and blue as well as either red or yellow.[3] The red color version is probably the source for the common name "liberty molly" as a result of the combination of red, white and blue colors.[3] Maximum length is about 3 inches (7.6 cm), with females generally larger than males.[3]

According to Dr. William T. Innes, who regarded the species as color variety of P. sphenops, the liberty molly was first imported for the aquarium hobby in 1935.[5] In the aquarium, the liberty molly can be aggressive towards other tankmates and nip the fins of other fishes in the tank.[3][5] According to Innes, this aggressiveness and the loss of color intensity over captive generations led to the fish losing popularity in the hobby.[5] Males in particular are aggressive towards each other.[3] Tropical Fish Hobbyist recommends keeping the liberty molly in a species tank, in a ratio of at least two females per male, stating that three males and six females would be suitable in a 30-gallon aquarium.[3] The liberty molly is prone to jumping, and so the tank should be covered.[3][5] It needs vegetable matter in its diet.[3]

## References

1. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Poecilia salvatoris" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
2. ↑ Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 24 (10–12): 188.
3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Monks, N. (August 2011). "7 Forgotten Livebearers". Tropical Fish Hobbyist. http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/7-forgotten-livebearers-full-article.htm. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
4. ↑ Bailey, M.; Sandford, G (1999). Aquarium Fish Identifier. Lorenz Books. p. 52. ISBN 9780754800101. https://archive.org/details/aquariumfishiden0000bail/page/52.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Innes, W. (1966). Exotic Aquarium Fishes (19th ed.). Metaframe. pp. 362, 574. https://archive.org/details/exoticaquari00inne.

Wikidata ☰ Q3758843 entry

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