Species: Poecilia latipinna, Sailfin Molly

Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821)

Sailfin 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; mouth small, at front, slightly oblique, lower jaw slightly projecting, top jaw protractile; jaw teeth consist of an outer row of large backward curved teeth with expanded tips, and several rows of small pointed teeth; 22-27 gill rakers; 1 dorsal fin with short base, at rear of body; dorsal fin with long base, 13-16 rays, large and sail-like in male, its origin over or before pelvic fin origin; pelvic origin well behind pectoral base, near anal fin; tip of pelvic fin of males swollen, elongate; pectorals high on flank, 5th ray not scalloped in male; anal fin 8-9, origin under (female) or a little behind (male) dorsal fin origin; 3rd anal ray unbranched; anal fin modified in male to form an elongate sex organ, that organ relatively short, with straight tip that has small backward-pointing spines and small claws at top and bottom, & a fleshy palp; tail base relatively narrow; tail fin rounded, without elongate sword; tail base 19.9-21.3% of SL; scales smooth and relatively large, 26-28 along side, 16 around tail base.

Upper body olive-green to grey-brown, with cross-hatching above produced by dark scale edges; elongate dark spots on scales form 4-5 thin dark lines along side, those in male form interconnecting zigzag lines; fins transparent, with small dark spots along rays; dorsal fin of male with, thin stripes along inner half, a central row of vertically oval dark spots , small dark spots outside that and an orange margin; tail fin with rows of brown spots, central part of fin orange, rear margin black; anal fin bordered with whitish.

Reaches 15 cm.

Fresh to brackish water.

Depth range: 0-3 m.

North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico.