ANIMAL: Endler’s Livebearer Poecilia wingei Type of Animal: Cyprinodont Habitat: Freshwater/brackish lakes, lagoons, black mangrove estuarine environments, shallow streams surrounded by trees connected to freshwater lagoons, slow-flowing streams, canals, drainage ditches, floodplains, prefer hard water & 5.5-8.5 pH (slightly acidic to basic-neutral pH of 7 is best) & temps of 64-85 F, while preferring fresh & brackish water they can thrive in saltwater as well Location(s): Sucre state of Venezuela Appearance: Very small fish, males much more colorful than females, many different color strains occur among this species, females plumper & larger than males Food/Diet: Plant matter, vegetables, algae, small insects, insect larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia, small worms, fry of own species, small shrimp, biofilm Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Breeding in aquaculture, aquariums, & zoos. Monitoring of native habitat. Lifestyle: Schools of 4-40 fish, w/ more females than males Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young: Fry Group: School Weight: Male: 0.002 oz Female: 0.004 oz Gestation: 3-3.5 weeks Life Span: Females: 2 years Males: 2-3 years Body Length: Male: 1 in Female: 1.8 in Main predators are other fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, & predatory aquatic invertebrates. Males live slightly longer than females due to stress of spawning. Wingei part of scientific name honors Danish biologist Ojvind Winge. These fish are great jumpers. These fish are very active & inquisitive. Males often flare at each other & at females. Poecilia part of scientific name Greek for variable/variegated. Fry grow very quickly. Called livebearers since females give birth to live young. Fun Fact(s): While restricted range & water pollution are potential threats, these fish doing quite well in wild due to how prolific they are. Females give birth to 1-30 live young every 23 days & do so throughout life. Since they mature at 2 months old, a single female can give birth to more than 1,000 fry in her lifetime. Often hybridize w/ common guppies as well as other members of genus Poecilia-creating hybrids known as Endler’s guppies. This species itself sometimes called Endler’s guppy. These hybrids very popular in aquarium trade. Pure-bred Endler’s livebearers/guppies far less common. This species 1st appeared in aquarium trade in 1975 after being rediscovered by biologist John Endler. Besides Endler’s Guppy, other names for this species are Campoma Guppy, Cumana Guppy, & El Tigre.
