Species: Poecilia vittata, Banded Limia, Cuban Limia, Cuban Molly, Striped Mudfish

Poecilia vittata (Guichenot, 1853)

Cuban Limia, Banded Limia, Striped Mudfish, Cuban Molly

Head and body moderately robust, moderately compressed at rear; head depressed; front nostril not tubular; covering of eye not continuous with skin of head; preoperculum with 7 pores, that do not form an open canal; mouth small, at front, slightly oblique, lower jaw slightly projecting, top jaw protractile; outer teeth strongly compressed, spatula-like; inner teeth 3-pointed; 1 dorsal fin with short base, at rear of body; anal fin origin distinctly before dorsal fin origin; pelvic origin well behind pectoral base, near anal fin; tip of pelvic fin of males swollen, elongate, tip of 2nd ray fleshy, cuved inward, tip of 3rd ray branched; pectorals high on flank, 5th ray not scalloped in male; 3rd anal ray unbranched; anal fin modified in male to form an elongate sex organ, tip of that organ straight, without spines, with a large fleshy palp that extends beyond the end of the organ; tail base relatively narrow; tail fin rounded; scales smooth and relatively large.

Olive green; with several rows of blackish dots forming a stripe from the upper corner of the operculum to the tail. Female: with a yellow patch near the vent, tail fin clear, dorsal fin with 1-2 rows of black spots at its base. Male with dorsal and tail fins translucent yellow-orange, with rows of black spots over most of both fins.

Reaches 8.0 cm (females twice the size of males).

In fresh to brackish water; coastal streams, lakes and mangroves.

Depth range 0-1 m?

Endemic to Cuba.