Southern Platyfish

• GeneralOne of the easiest aquarium fish to breed; there are dozens of colour varieties.
• Crosses between this species and the swordtail produce offspring that systematically develop melanomas, and that system, described in the 1920s, was the first animal model of inherited cancer and is still used in research.
• It is viviparous: the female gives birth to free-swimming young and can store sperm to produce several broods from a single mating.
• It is live-bearing: the female gives birth to fully formed young and can raise broods of up to 80 fry.
• It has three sex chromosomes, W, X and Y, which interact with autosomal genes to give one of the most complex sex-determination systems known in any vertebrate.
• It has been introduced into at least eighteen countries through aquarium releases.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)

Habitat and environment

Tropical ponds, canals and slow rivers

Sexual maturity

Length at first maturity 2.8 cm (range 1-4.2 cm); between 3 and 4 months old

Gestation / incubation

4-6 weeks of internal gestation

Litter / clutch size

From 20 to 80 young per litter

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiphophorus_maculatus