Species: Poecilia petenensis, Petén Molly

Poecilia petenensis Günther, 1866
Petén Molly
Head and body relatively slender, 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 conical; dorsal fin with long base, 14 (14-16 rays), origin over or before pelvic origin; 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 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, two hooks and a long fleshy palp on underside; tail base relatively narrow; tail fin bluntly straight, that of male with a short triangular point on lower rear corner; scales smooth and relatively large, 28-30 lateral scales, 20 scales around tail base.
Grey brown; body with rows of small orange spots along scale rows; dorsal fin of male with dark undulating stripes and large whitish spots along its inner 3/4, outer edge orange; tail fin of male with vertical rows of small orange-brown spots, rear edge orange, lower border and extension black.
Reaches 15 cm.
Fresh, to brackish water coastal lagoons.
Depth range: 0-1 m.
Campeche to Guatemala.

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
-
- Data
- Detritus
- Insects
- Egg Type
-
- 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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- Continent
- Continent only
- GC endemic
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- 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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- 15
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 1