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Species: Poecilia vandepolli, Island Molly

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

grey-brown above, bluey sides, yellow below
flank - dark streaks
D 8-9, origin behind pelvic origin, dark basal blo
C inner 2/3- rows spots
Netherlands Antilles
male: pelvic tips swollen, sex organ short, short palp & (invisible) spines under straight tip
scales: 26-28 lateral, 16 around tail base

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.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Freshwater
  • Non Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Estuary
  • Freshwater
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
  • Detritivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Detritus
  • Insects
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • No pelagic larva
  • No pelagic phase
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Antilles endemic
  • Caribbean endemic
  • GC endemic
  • Island (s)
  • Island (s) only
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
IUCN Red List
  • Not evaluated / Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 6
Depth Range Min
  • 0
Depth Range Max
  • 1