Melody
Dec 8th 2006, 04:19 AM
What Species is YOUR Platy?
The common name 'Platy' actually comes from an old classification under Platypoecilus. That's why you'll see me use the plural spelling 'Platy's' rather than 'Platies' - its an abreviated plural.
The fish commonly labelled 'Platy' in stores can be either of two species, and are most often a combination of both plus a third species, or any combination. It has reached a point that most hobbyists don't even know that there ARE two species, let alone a mix of a possible three involved in the fish they purchase.
This may not seem like such a big deal unless you are breeding for certain traits or looking for certain genes. For example, in order to get the long, flowing dorsals seen on some Hifin Platy's, you must cross your Hifin X. maculatus with X. variatus. Niether of whom would have those Hifins without the Hifin Swordtail, which was initially crossed with X. maculatus to create the Hifin Platy, then crossed with X. variatus for the long flowing dorsal. That's not all! Once the long flowing dorsal was developed via X. maculatus x X. variatus, that cross was mated back to a Swordtail so they could have the long flowing dorsal too.
WHEW! Are you confused yet? You're not alone, but I'll try to clear things up for you :).
You can often still label your Platy as one or the other according to which species they favour. They should not, however be sold as a pure strain if you are not certain of their heritage.
The following picture demonstrates the most obvious appearance differences between X. variatus and X. maculatus. The Plumetails favour the X. variatus, whereas the Red Velvet Platy in the front is all or mostly X. maculatus. The second photo shows a young X. Variatus male with a normal tail.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-X-Maculatus_X-VariatusPlumetail.jpg http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-Platy-PossBrachyX-2.jpg
The most obvious difference is the general shape of the fish. X. maculatus is, in a word, round, whereas the X. variatus have a more streamlined shape. The dorsal, as is the focus of all that rambling about Hifins, also shows marked differences. The X. maculatus has a more narrow dorsal. The X. variatus has a broader base and is larger overall, producing a thicker appearance when it is laying down.
X. maculatus is actually a close relative of the Green Swordtail (X. Helleri). They reside in Central and North America (often introduced), preferring slow moving waters. They are a rather plain, gold fish in the wild and grow to just under 2.5". X. maculatus will be breeding by four months of age and the females will give birth to 20-50 fry on average.
X. variatus is native to Northeast Mexico. Also a rather drab golden beige in the wild, with a black lateral line. They'll grow to around 2 3/4" and also give birth to around 20-50 fry on average.
It is interesting to note that the fry numbers are for the true wild-type species. The domestic Platy with mixed origins can break 150 fry!
To demonstrate the degree of species mixing, the following photo shows what appears to be a pair of nice Hifin Black Swordtails:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-HiFinBlackSwords-Pair.jpg
Look more closely and you'll see that the female is actually a Platy of the same color. These fish were purchased at the same time in the same store.
How about this one? A beautiful red Swordtail, proudly sporting a sword.... surely he is no hybrid?
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-RedSword-M.jpg
Wrong - Red Swordtails came from a cross between the Green Swordtail (X. helleri) and X. maculatus.
You get the idea ;-). I hope I have clarified things a bit, or confused them more and given you something to think about. Often classed as a boring Livebearer, the 'Platy' is anything but. Go ahead, check your Platy's out and let us know what you think you have. If you're not sure, post a pic and I'll take a shot at it.:D
---------------------------------------------------------
© Please note: While you are welcome to link directly to this thread,
the contents are copyright Melody McKinnon and cannot be copied.
Thank you for respecting the effort that I have put into our content.
---------------------------------------------------------
The common name 'Platy' actually comes from an old classification under Platypoecilus. That's why you'll see me use the plural spelling 'Platy's' rather than 'Platies' - its an abreviated plural.
The fish commonly labelled 'Platy' in stores can be either of two species, and are most often a combination of both plus a third species, or any combination. It has reached a point that most hobbyists don't even know that there ARE two species, let alone a mix of a possible three involved in the fish they purchase.
This may not seem like such a big deal unless you are breeding for certain traits or looking for certain genes. For example, in order to get the long, flowing dorsals seen on some Hifin Platy's, you must cross your Hifin X. maculatus with X. variatus. Niether of whom would have those Hifins without the Hifin Swordtail, which was initially crossed with X. maculatus to create the Hifin Platy, then crossed with X. variatus for the long flowing dorsal. That's not all! Once the long flowing dorsal was developed via X. maculatus x X. variatus, that cross was mated back to a Swordtail so they could have the long flowing dorsal too.
WHEW! Are you confused yet? You're not alone, but I'll try to clear things up for you :).
You can often still label your Platy as one or the other according to which species they favour. They should not, however be sold as a pure strain if you are not certain of their heritage.
The following picture demonstrates the most obvious appearance differences between X. variatus and X. maculatus. The Plumetails favour the X. variatus, whereas the Red Velvet Platy in the front is all or mostly X. maculatus. The second photo shows a young X. Variatus male with a normal tail.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-X-Maculatus_X-VariatusPlumetail.jpg http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-Platy-PossBrachyX-2.jpg
The most obvious difference is the general shape of the fish. X. maculatus is, in a word, round, whereas the X. variatus have a more streamlined shape. The dorsal, as is the focus of all that rambling about Hifins, also shows marked differences. The X. maculatus has a more narrow dorsal. The X. variatus has a broader base and is larger overall, producing a thicker appearance when it is laying down.
X. maculatus is actually a close relative of the Green Swordtail (X. Helleri). They reside in Central and North America (often introduced), preferring slow moving waters. They are a rather plain, gold fish in the wild and grow to just under 2.5". X. maculatus will be breeding by four months of age and the females will give birth to 20-50 fry on average.
X. variatus is native to Northeast Mexico. Also a rather drab golden beige in the wild, with a black lateral line. They'll grow to around 2 3/4" and also give birth to around 20-50 fry on average.
It is interesting to note that the fry numbers are for the true wild-type species. The domestic Platy with mixed origins can break 150 fry!
To demonstrate the degree of species mixing, the following photo shows what appears to be a pair of nice Hifin Black Swordtails:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-HiFinBlackSwords-Pair.jpg
Look more closely and you'll see that the female is actually a Platy of the same color. These fish were purchased at the same time in the same store.
How about this one? A beautiful red Swordtail, proudly sporting a sword.... surely he is no hybrid?
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f227/canadiansinternetdotcom/MM-RedSword-M.jpg
Wrong - Red Swordtails came from a cross between the Green Swordtail (X. helleri) and X. maculatus.
You get the idea ;-). I hope I have clarified things a bit, or confused them more and given you something to think about. Often classed as a boring Livebearer, the 'Platy' is anything but. Go ahead, check your Platy's out and let us know what you think you have. If you're not sure, post a pic and I'll take a shot at it.:D
---------------------------------------------------------
© Please note: While you are welcome to link directly to this thread,
the contents are copyright Melody McKinnon and cannot be copied.
Thank you for respecting the effort that I have put into our content.
---------------------------------------------------------