Poecilia

Poecilia is a genus of fishes in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. These livebearers are native to fresh, brackish and salt water in the Americas, and some species in the genus are euryhaline. A few have adapted to living in waters that contain high levels of toxic hydrogen sulfide and a population of P. mexicana lives in caves.
Some common and widespread species are often kept as aquarium fish, while other have very small ranges and are seriously threatened. Species in Poecilia are called mollies or guppies depending on body shape.
Micropoecilia has been proposed to be included as a subgenus of Poecilia.

Taxonomy and etymology

Poecilia was first proposed as a genus in 1801 by the German naturalists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider when the described Poecilia vivipara as a new species. P. vivipara was subsequently designated as the type species of the genus by Pieter Bleeker in 1864. It is the type genus of the subfamily Poeciliinae and of the family Poeciliidae. Poecilia refers to the Greek word poikilos, which means "variegated" or "speckled", an allusion to the coloration and pattern of the type species, as well as that of and other related fishes, such as Fundulus heteroclitus which Bloch & Schneider classified in this genus.

In aquaria

Fish of this genus have extremely variable coloration and have been selectively bred to create many different varieties. The most commonly kept species are guppies '', mollies, and Endler's livebearers. Members of the genus readily hybridize with each other and so most commercially offered fish are hybrids.
They are easy to sex as males have a prominent gonopodium, a modified anal fin used to inseminate females. They mature quickly and breed readily, with females giving birth to a dozen or more fry every month. Some poecilids are cannibalistic and will eat any of their fry that are unable to flee in time.

Species

The following species are recognized in the genus Poecilia:

Poecilia akroa Figueiredo & Moreira, 2018
Poecilia araguaiensis
Poecilia bifurca
Poecilia boesemani Poeser, 2003
Poecilia branneri Eigenmann, 1894
Poecilia butleri D. S. Jordan, 1889
Poecilia catemaconis R. R. Miller, 1975
Poecilia caucana
Poecilia caymanensis
Poecilia chica R. R. Miller, 1975
Poecilia dauli M. K. Meyer & Radda, 2000
Poecilia dominicensis
Poecilia elegans
Poecilia formosa
Poecilia fuscomaculata
Poecilia garnieri
Poecilia gillii
Poecilia grossidens
Poecilia hasemani
Poecilia heterandria
Poecilia hispaniolana Rivas, 1978
Poecilia hollandi
Poecilia hondurensis Poeser, 2011
Poecilia immaculata
Poecilia islai
Poecilia koperi Poeser, 2003
Poecilia kykesis Poeser, 2002
Poecilia latipinna
Poecilia latipunctata Meek, 1904
Poecilia limantouri Jordan & Snyder, 1899
Poecilia mandibularis
Poecilia marcellinoi Poeser, 1995
Poecilia maylandi M. K. Meyer, 1983
Poecilia mechthildae M. K. Meyer, Etzel & Bork, 2002
Poecilia melanogaster Günther, 1866
Poecilia melanonotata
Poecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863
Poecilia minima Costa & Sarraf, 1997
Poecilia minor
Poecilia miragoanensis
Poecilia montana Rosen & Bailey, 1963
Poecilia nelsoni
Poecilia nigrofasciata
Poecilia obscura Schories, M. K. Meyer & Schartl, 2009
Poecilia ornata
Poecilia orri Fowler, 1943
Poecilia pallida
Poecilia parae C. H. Eigenmann, 1894
Poecilia pauciradiata
Poecilia pertapeh
Poecilia perugiae
Poecilia petenensis Günther, 1866
Poecilia picta
Poecilia reticulata W. K. H. Peters, 1859
Poecilia rivasi
Poecilia rositae M. K. Meyer, K. Schneider, Radda, B. Wilde & Schartl, 2004
Poecilia salvatoris Regan, 1907
Poecilia sarrafae Bragança & W. J. E. M. Costa, 2011
Poecilia scalpridens
Poecilia sphenops Valenciennes, 1846
Poecilia sulphuraria
Poecilia sulphurophila
Poecilia teresae D. W. Greenfield, 1990
Poecilia thermalis Steindachner, 1863
Poecilia tridens Hilgendorf, 1889
Poecilia vandepolli van Lidth de Jeude, 1887
Poecilia velifera
Poecilia versicolor
Poecilia vittata Guichenot, 1843
Poecilia vivipara Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
Poecilia waiapi Bragança, W. J. E. M. Costa & Gama, 2012
Poecilia wandae Poeser, 2003
Poecilia wingei Poeser, Kempkes & Isbrücker, 2005
Poecilia yaguajali
Poecilia zonata

If Poecilia in the wider sense is used then the species would be divided up into subgenera as follows:

Poecilia Bloch & Schneider 1801
*Poecilia vivipara
Acanthophacelus Eigenmann 1907
* Poecilia kempkesi
* Poecilia obscura
* Poecilia reticulata
* Poecilia wingei
Allopoecilia Hubbs 1924
* Poecilia caucana
* Poecilia dauli
Curtipenis Rivas & Myers 1950
* Poecilia elegans
Limia Poey 1854
* Poecilia caudofasciata
* Poecilia caymanensi
* Poecilia dominicensis
* Poecilia fuscomaculata
* Poecilia garnieri
* Poecilia grossidens
* Poecilia immaculata
* Poecilia melanogaster
* Poecilia melanonotata
* Poecilia miragoanensis
* Poecilia nicholsi
* Poecilia nigrofasciata
* Poecilia ornata
* Poecilia pauciradiata
* Poecilia perugiae
* Poecilia rivasi
* Poecilia sulphurophila
* Poecilia tridens
* Poecilia versicolor
* Poecilia vittata
* Poecilia yaguajali
* Poecilia zonata
Micropoecilia Hubbs 1926
* Poecilia bifurca
* Poecilia branneri
* Poecilia minima
* Poecilia parae
* Poecilia picta
* Poecilia sarrafae
* Poecilia waiapi
Mollienesia Lesueur 1821
* Poecilia boesemani
* Poecilia butleri
* Poecilia catemaconis
* Poecilia chica
* Poecilia formosa
* Poecilia gillii
* Poecilia hondurensis
* Poecilia koperi
* Poecilia kykesis
* Poecilia latipinna
* Poecilia latipunctata
* Poecilia limantouri
* Poecilia marcellinoi
* Poecilia maylandi
* Poecilia mechthildae
* Poecilia mexicana
* Poecilia nelsoni
* Poecilia orri
* Poecilia petenensis
* Poecilia rositae
* Poecilia salvatoris
* Poecilia sphenops
* Poecilia sulphuraria
* Poecilia teresae
* Poecilia thermalis
* Poecilia vandepolli
* Poecilia velifera
* Poecilia wandae
Pseudolimia Poeser 2002
* Poecilia heterandria
Psychropoecilia Myers 1935
* Poecilia hispaniolana
* ''Poecilia montana''