Amazon molly
| Amazon molly | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cyprinodontiformes |
| Family: | Poeciliidae |
| Genus: | Poecilia |
| Species: | P. formosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Poecilia formosa (Girard, 1859)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa) is a freshwater fish native to the warm waters of northeastern Mexico and the southern parts of the U.S. state of Texas. It reproduces through gynogenesis, and essentially all individuals are females. The common name of "Amazon molly," acknowledges this trait as a reference to the Amazon warriors, a female-run society in Greek mythology. The Amazon molly is a hybrid species, and its parent species are the sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) and the Atlantic molly (Poecilia mexicana). In 1932, this species was the first vertebrate confirmed to be capable of asexual reproduction.
Poecilia formosa gets its name from the Greek poikilos meaning "variegated" or "speckled," and the Latin formosa meaning "beautiful."