Biology:Limia islai

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Short description: Species of freshwater fish

Limia islai
Female Tiger Limia.png
A female tiger limia (L. islai)
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cyprinodontiformes
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Limia
Species:
L. islai
Binomial name
Limia islai
Rodriguez-Silva & Weaver, 2020

Limia islai, also known as the tiger limia, is a species of fish within the family Poeciliidae.[2] This species is one of several Limia that are endemic to Lake Miragoâne, Haiti.[3]

Description

Limia islai can be distinguished by almost all other Limia species by the presence of black vertical stripes across the fishes body.[4] The only other Limia species to possess a similar striping is Limia nigrofasciata.[4] Stripes are present on both male and female members of L. islai.[4] The number of stripes on an individual fish can vary between 4 and 12.[4] Limia islai have slender bodies which are olive green in colour and fish possess yellow pigment in their snout and fins.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Limia islai is endemic to Haiti, where the species is restricted to the Tiburon Peninsula of Southwest Haiti.[6] This species has only been recorded in the coastal Lake Miragoâne.[6] The lake is freshwater and reaches a maximum depth of 45 meters.[6] The habitat consists of aquatic vegetation and a muddy substrate.[6]

Reproduction

Unlike the similarly striped L. nigrofasciatata which mates via courtship, Limia islai will sneak up on their females in order to thrust their gonopodium into them and mate.[3] Limia islai is a livebearer, which reproduces via internal fertilization and gives birth to live young. Mated females will release between 5 and 20 fry per pregnancy.[7]

Etymology

The word Limia is derived from the Latin word "limus", which means mud. This refers to a Limias feeding habit of searching through mud. The word Islai however is reference to the first person to introduce the species in the aquarium hobby, Dominic Isla.[7]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q113549589 entry