Xiphophorus montezumae

Xiphophorus montezumae, the Montezuma swordtail, is a livebearing freshwater fish of the Order Cyprinodontiformes, family Poeciliidae, and genus Xiphophorus.[2] It is in the same genus as the common platy and the swordtail. Xiphophorus means sword-tail in Greek.

Xiphophorus montezumae
Male
Female

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Xiphophorus
Species:
X. montezumae
Binomial name
Xiphophorus montezumae

Description

Growing to a maximum length of around 7.5 cm (3.0 in), the females are larger in size than the male. The genus Xiphophorus is common in freshwater aquariums. The males of this particular species are known for their metallic green scales and the fact that their "sword" stays horizontal unlike most species where it is angled downward.

The most suitable conditions for Montezuma swordtails include a water temperature of around 21–25 °C (70–77 °F). Water pH should stay near 7.5 at all times. They are quite resilient fish. They come from the Pánuco River basin in northeastern Mexican in the states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi and Veracruz. They are often found in fast-flowing rivers. In the wild, schools with more females than males are common, and enjoy dense aquatic foliage to give birth in. They reproduce quickly and often and also, prefer live foods and aquatic plants over tropical fish foods and fake plants. On average females will give birth to about 50 fry, this will happen once every seven weeks. Like almost all swordtails, the Montezuma swordtail will readily breed with platies

References
  1. Espinosa-Perez, H. (2019). "Xiphophorus montezumae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T191787A2003269. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T191787A2003269.en.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Xiphophorus montezuma" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  • Alderton, David. Aquarium & Pond Fish. Ed. Joanne Doran, Lee Griffiths, and Simon Tuite. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.


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