Species: Poecilia vandepolli, Island Molly
flank - dark streaks
Netherlands Antilles

Poecilia vandepolli van Lidth de Jeude, 1887
Island 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 1-pointed; 1 dorsal fin with short base, its origin behind pelvic origin, 8-9 rays; pelvic origin well behind pectoral base, near anal fin; tip of pelvic fin of males swollen, elongate; pectorals high on flank, 14 or more rays, 5th ray not scalloped in male; anal fin 8-9 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 (not visible externally) and a short fleshy palp; tail base relatively narrow; tail fin rounded, without elongate sword; scales smooth and relatively large; 26-28 lateral scales, 16 scales around tail base.
Body grey-brown to yellow with blue sides to orange along lower body; dark streaks along flank; sometimes a dark spot just behind the top corner of the operculum; dorsal fin with a large dark blotch at its base, spots outside that; inner 2/3 of tail fin with irregular rows of spots.
Reaches 6 cm.
Lives in fresh to brackish shoreline waters.
Depth range: 0-1 m.
The S Caribbean; introduced to St Martin.

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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- Carnivore
- Data
- Detritivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Detritus
- Insects
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Live birth
- No pelagic larva
- No pelagic phase
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Antilles endemic
- Caribbean endemic
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- Island (s) only
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 6
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 1