Species: Poecilia gillii, Molly

Poecilia gillii (Kner, 1863)
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, inner row of teeth with 1 point; 1 dorsal fin, 9-10 rays, with short base, at rear of body, fin enlarged and can be very long in male; pelvic origin well behind pectoral base, near anal fin; tip of pelvic fin of male swollen, elongate; pectorals high on flank, 14 or more rays, 5th ray not scalloped in male; anal fin 9 rays, 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 short & with a straight tip that has small spines and a fleshy palp; tail base relatively narrow; tail fin rounded, without elongate sword; scales smooth and relatively large, 27 (26-29) in longitudinal series, 16 around base of tail.
Body silvery with blue and green highlights, with several rows of yellowish spots; dorsal fin with a large black blotch or spots at base; tail fin with rows of black spots or a black blotch on base; males sometimes with an orange margin to tail, dorsal fin with red color; anal and pectorals yellowish.
Reaches 10.5 cm.
Primarily freshwater, but large adults also in brackish water.
Depth range: 0-3 m?
Atlantic and Pacific watersheds;Honduras to Colombia

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Brackish
- Freshwater
- Non Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Estuary
- Freshwater
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Detritivore
- Herbivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Benthic microalgae
- Detritus
- Egg Type
-
- Data
- Live birth
- No pelagic larva
- No pelagic phase
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- New world (East Pacific + West Atlantic)
- Transisthmian (East Pacific + Atlantic of Central America)
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent only
- GC non-endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Data deficient
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 10.5
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 3