the viviparous tooth-carps is a species-rich family of without exception small fish, who live in sweet-waters mainly. Some few forms are on tried also at Brackwasser. Some of the types are as Moskitovertilger and known-become others than aquarium fish very much.
Spread Originally only in America given a home, different forms are world-wide widespread today. These occurrences go back to neglected populations, that were abandoned in malaria-areas to the fight of the mosquito-nuisance, mosquitos of the types Anopheles and Aëdes (yellow-fevers), everywhere. The natural spread-area extends southwards from the southern states of the USA over Central America to Argentina. These purely neuweltliche spread justifiable to the supposition that itself the viviparous tooth-carps only after America's separation of the remaining continents, therefore still before tribal-historically short time, from Eierlegenden tooth-carps developed.
Habitat Viviparous tooth-carps populate the most different water-types; one finds a few pool muddier in the standing water, while lives in others the clear water of fast-flowing brooks. They clearly prefer the verkrauteten zones, that offer much hiding place-possibility, in bigger waters; into the open water, they only rarely swim. In the name "Million-fish" for the most well-known representative of the family, the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), it finds the expression that some types occur in large masses occasionally.
Food The fish usually united to relaxed swarms look predominantly for its food in the upper water-layers. they carry off above all touch-insects, beside it gnat-larvae, fish-brood and small-creatures. As addition-food, algae become plucked and eaten tender parts from water-plants.
Shape and Geschlechtsdimorphismus As characteristic characteristic, we find a conspicuous Geschlechtsdimorphismus with the viviparous tooth-carps: The males are smaller normally and colored very much more sincerely than the bigger, color-like usually inconspicuous females. There are however also few types, with which not noticing as well as any sex-characteristics besides the Gonopodium (see below) is. The shape of most viviparous tooth-carps is stretched and compressed at the side only wise.
The sheds cover partially also the fin-base. The length amounts to usually only few centimeters; the biggest type, the Hechtcarp-fish (Belonesox belizanus), reaches 20 cm, the smallest type, that is Zwergcarp-fish (Heterandria formosa, males 2 cm, females 3 cm), one of the smallest vertebrates at all.
Mating-organ (Gonopodium)) Beside the different reproductive-manner, the viviparous tooth-carps differ from its next relatives, that Eierlegenden tooth-carps, through the special mating-organ, that Gonopodium.
During the youth-development of the males extends and thickens the third, fourth and fifth anus-fin-ray and forms a stream-shaped mating-organ together, that forms an extension of the seed-leader outside. The first and the second fin-ray waste away. Simultaneously, the entire sex-appliance with the anus-fin, as well like the stomach-fin, to the front, moves so that the whole guts-region kopfwärts is postponed. Also the musculature of the mating-fin changes: it forms, from skeleton-elements supports, a complicated movement-appliance of this a swing of the mating-organ after all sides allows. The sexually mature is the reshuffle finished with the admission.
The top of the Gonopodiums frequently carries differently shaped hooks or differently molded appendixes. From type to type differently trained, they serve the specialist as help at the type-regulation beside certain skull-characteristics.
Reproduction At the mating, the male harasses the female stormily and tries to bring its Gonopodium into the proximity of the female sex-opening. After several unsuccessful mating-attempts (appearance-combinations), the male can finally anchor its Gonopodium in the sex-opening for 1-2 seconds. In this short time, a whole Spermienpaket, that is held together by a putty-good substance, transfers it. The Spermienpaket dissolves in the rush-pus of the female, and the sperm become free. they remain in the fold-hands sex-canal of the female very long viable and can several "thrusts" over longer time so the yolk-hands eggs fertilizes. With the Spermienvorrat, Z can. B. a Guppy-Weibchen over 10 throws forward, without it being mated (reserve-fertilization) with again.
In the birth, the thin egg-covers pop open, so that already they very far developed boys as ready small little fish was born. An innate instinct immediately drives away it to the water-surface from the mother; to the one, the mother follows the only just born own boys inexorably, to the other, the young-fish first must fill its swimming-blister with air.
With some types with yolk-poor eggs (Z). B. with the Zwergcarp-fish, those become embryo with maternal nutrients from the Ovarwandung (pseudo-placenta) looks after.
One recognizes fertilized females with the viviparous tooth-carps because of the size of this embryo easily at the corpulence. Furthermore, the females frequently carry a dark pregnancy-stain above the anus-fin. The pregnancy-duration usually amounts between 4 -6 weeks.
Gynogenese Another peculiarity in this interesting fish-family must be mentioned: From different types (Amazonencarp-fish, Poecilia formosa, certain populations of types of the type Poeciliopsis), there are not any males! How can these fish propagate at all? The females are combined with foreign males, whose sperm can admittedly not fertilize the eggs, but the impulse for the Keimesentwicklung gives. Only females are created again from the eggs. This special type of spinster-generation (Parthenogenese) is called Gynogenese. We find quite similar circumstances also at our native gable (goldfishes).
Types, Aquarienhaltung Many of these lively fish enjoy as trouble-free aquarium fish of severe popularity.
Hechtcarp-fish The biggest type, the Hechtcarp-fish (Belonesox belizanus, males until 10 cm, females until 20 cm), is a predatory surface-fish from the eastern Central America. This fish immediately shows the robbery-fish in the look: big eyes and a deep mouth-column with long, pointed teeth.
it prefers muddy and cloudy waters where it can approach its loot unseen. In the aquarium, the animals must be fed very amply with powerful living-feed, the strong females eat otherwise even the characteristic males on. Hechtcarp-fishsweibchen place up to 100 young-fish in a throw!
Type Heterandria The Zwergcarp-fish (Heterandria formosa), that because of its low height and the nutrition of this embryo through a pseudo-placenta to the most remarkable representatives of the family counts, lives in offshore sweet-waters and Brackwasserzonen in the southeast of the USA. This type, that is to be held very easily and is suitable also for very small basins, hardly follows its boys. During the birth-period, that lasts 1-2 weeks, the females bear every day only one or two kid.
In contrast to the Zwergcarp-fish, the artificial sword-bearer (Heterandria bimaculata, males until 4,5 cm, females until 9 cm) from Central America is a bad robber. The females bring up to 160 young to the world, that already 1,5 cm measure in the birth.
Type Gambusia In the glaring contrast to the meaning of the generic term "Gambusia", that (= a ridiculous nothingness) takes reference to the low height and the inconspicuous colors, the value of the most known type-representative, the goblin or Texascarp-fishs (Gambusia affinis, males until 3,5 cm, females until 6 cm) from the southern states of the USA, stands.
Gnat-fight Probably no other fish made itself as deserved as this in the biological fight of the mosquito-nuisance. The Koboldcarp-fish, that freed whole regions as gluttonous Nimmersatt from the feared malaria-gnats, makes the settling of fever-infested areas at all possible in some areas first previously. Since very roughly this fish-type despite its subtropical origin and resistance-capable for temperature-fluctuations is (it tolerates temperature-values of 3 °C until over 30 °C), it let herself introduce also in areas, in which the waters cool down markedly in the winter. With especially big success, one has it in Italy, South-France, Spain, in the eastern Mediterranean-states and in it that naturalized Russia. However, this very adaptable fish has Z. T. native forms of competition completely ousts.
Further types Two further representatives of the type (altogether 12 types) are the Nicaraguacarp-fish (Gambusia nicaraguensis), that lives in Mexico's Atlantic coast-side until Panama, and the Yucatancarp-fish (Gambusia yucatana) from the Mexican provinces Campeche and Yucatan.
Type Girardinus The Metallcarp-fish (Girardinus metallicus, males until 5 cm, females until 8 cm) from Cuba shows a beautiful metal-shine at conspicuous light. This fast-growing type is an omnivore like most viviparous tooth-carps, however, absolutely vegetable addition-food needs for the well-being.
Type Poecilia (with Mollinesia)) To this type, also the types of the former type Mollinesia are put today. Some males of Mollinesien belong to the most magnificent Lebendgebärern with its high, sail-good back-fins. The back-fin is set up particularly when impressing and with the Balzspiel.
An especially big and splendidly colored back-fin carries the male of the green-blue iridescent Segelcarp-fishs (Poecilia velifera, males until 12 cm, females until 15 cm) from Yucatan where the type is in the sweet things and Brackwasser at home. An addition of sea-water (10-20 percent) contributes visibly to the well-being particularly with import-animals in the aquarium.
The Spitzmaulcarp-fish (Poecilia sphenops, males until 8 cm, females until 12 cm) lives in a quite big spread-area, that extends southwards from Mexico to Colombia. This type varies according to geographical origin in all colors.
Many Mollinesien are inclined to the formation of Schecken and Schwärzlingen what from ornament-fish-breeders was used purely to the Herauszüchtung of black forms. Particularly from the Spitzmaulcarp-fish, there are many Züchtungen, that Z. T. with breeding-forms of the Segelcarp-fishs and another type, the Breitflossencarp-fish (Poecilia latipinna, very similarly the Segelcarp-fish), was crossed, so that it is no more many times possible today, that situated breeding-forms on the market to give unambiguous Latin type-names.
The most known forms are the popular "Black Molly", the "Gescheckte Black Molly", the "Liberty Black Molly", the "Schleierschwanzmolly", the "black Segelcarp-fish" and the "orange-tail."
The sunbathe-loving Mollinesien need spacious aquariums, absolutely vegetable Beikost and Z. T., how already mentions, sea-water-addition. In the aquarium, different breeding-forms hybridize very easily. The descendants such is not unchecked crossings normally so beautifully drawn, however, and colored. The black forms are very sensitive against cooling. Even less than with this at itself, the temperature can sink already very heat-needy exit-types under 24 °C here.
Also the Schwarzbandcarp-fish (Poecilia nigrofasciata) from Haiti, that was known under the name Limia nigrofasciata up to now, is regarded as a very selective charge.
The most known representative the species-hands type Poecilia, the Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), is treated in an independent article.
Type Xiphophorus As well the type of the sword-bearers (Xiphophorus) with the actual sword-bearer (Xiphophorus helleri) and the Platy (Xiphophorus maculatus).
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