Limia vittata
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cyprinodontiformes
Poeciliidae (Livebearers)
Limia
Limia vittata
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Blue-gray back, silvery sides and a white belly; scales edged with black producing a "fishnet" pattern on the sides; females with a yellow patch near the vent; male's dorsal fin and tail usually yellow-orange with blue black speckles; females with colorless fins and growing to more than double the size of males (Ref. 44091).
Distribution
Central America: endemic to Cuba.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal. Found in: streams, lakes, estuaries, mangroves.
Biology
Inhabits streams, lakes, estuaries, coastal lagoons and mangrove swamps. Feeds on worms, crustaceans, insects and plant matter (Ref. 7020). Often found in the company of sailfin molly and mosquitofish (Ref. 4409).
Max length: 8.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: internal (oviduct); bearers (internal live bearers). Produces 20-50 young. Large females can produce >100 fry every 4-6 weeks (Ref. 44091).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-05-22. Resilience: High (tm=0.66).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial.
References
Riehl, R. and H.A. Baensch (1991) Aquarien Atlas. Band. 1. Melle: Mergus, Verlag für Natur-und Heimtierkunde, Germany. 992 p.
Lee, D.S., S.P. Platania and G.H. Burgess (1983) Atlas of North American freshwater fishes, 1983 supplement. Occasional Papers of the North Carolina Biological Survey no. 1983-6. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, N.C. 67 p.
de Jong, K.M. (1999) Zwei große Limia-Arten. DATZ 52(10):26-29.
Yamamoto, M.N. and A.W. Tagawa (2000) Hawai'i's native and exotic freshwater animals. Mutual Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii. 200 p.
Comments On Limia vittata