a communal aquarium but given plants and gravel to hide in, some will probably survive as these are hardy fish. Platy young are first seen at approx 7mm long and will use cover to hide from predators and to look for food. Specialist fry food is available but any flake food, frozen or live food that floats their way will be easily consumed. These require excellent water quality and care must be taken to avoid fry being sucked up into a gravel cleaning syphon. A thin membrane covering the syphon opening such as a clean pair of tights will minimise this. The fish commonly sold in pet shops is not a pure strain of X. maculatus, but is a hybrid between X. hellerii and X. maculatus. In general, if the male has a sword-shaped tail, they are called swordtails. Otherwise, they are labeled platy. Color and fin shape vary wildly in the aquarium trade. A common statement in the trade is that it is harder to stop them breeding than to make them do so, with ‘surprise’ fry appearing in community tanks regularly. Genetics The genome of Xiphophorus maculatus was sequenced in 2013. Gallery References Southern Platyfish United States Geological Survey factsheet External links View the platyfish genome in Ensembl southern platyfish Live-bearing fish Ovoviviparous fish Fish of Guatemala Freshwater fish of Mexico southern platyfish southern platyfish