Xiphophorus - species list

All northern platies have more or less same requirements:

  • aquarium from 60 l upwards (bigger is better to allow bigger colony size)
  • normal room temperature (e.g. 20 °C in winter, 28 °C in summer... optimum 23-26 °C) except X. gordoni which lives in waters with constant temperature around 30 °C and should therefore not be kept too cold
  • keep them in a single species tank or with fish that will not bother them (non-predatory bottom fish would work well)
  • no special dietary requirements: they eat live and frozen food, flakes etc.
  • they need clean water, so frequent water changes (1/3 weekly) are necessary to ensure long-term health

The current version of the manual can be dowloaded here: XNP_husbandry_manual_2022-02.pdf

 

No

Name

Foto
1

Xiphophorus couchianus "La Huasteca"

Origin: Monterrey area (several locations), Nuevo León, Mexico

IUCN status: extinct in the wild (2018)

Actual status: extinct in the wild since 1960's

  Xiphophorus couchianus
2

Xiphophorus gordoni "Laguna Santa Tecla"

Origin: Laguna Santa Tecla, Cuatro Ciénegas valley, Coahuila, Mexico

IUCN status: endangered (2018)

Actual status: still abundant in very small area with high impact of human activities

  Xiphophorus gordoni
3

Xiphophorus meyeri "Muzquiz" - Spotted

Origin: La Cascada / El Socavón, Melchor Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico

IUCN status: extinct in the wild (2018)

Actual status: extinct in the wild since ? (2018 - not present on any of both known locations)

  Xiphophorus meyeri "Muzquiz" - Spotted
4

Xiphophorus meyeri "Muzquiz" - Wild Type

Origin: La Cascada / El Socavón, Melchor Múzquiz, Coahuila, Mexico

IUCN status: extinct in the wild (2018)

Actual status: extinct in the wild since ? (2018 - not present on any of both known locations)

Note: different form; spotting is suppressed by a recessive allele

  Xiphophorus meyeri "Muzquiz" - Wild Type
5

Xiphophorus sp. "Apodaca"

Origin: Ojo de Agua de Apodaca, Monterrey area, Nuevo León, Mexico

IUCN status: n/a

Actual status: extinct in the wild since 1990's

Note: treated sometimes as a form of X. couchianus, though distinct

  Xiphophorus sp. "Apodaca"
6

Xiphophorus sp. "Regio"

Origin: Río Santa Ana, Monterrey area, Nuevo León, Mexico

IUCN status: n/a

Actual status: threated by habitat degradation and hybridization with X. variatus (maybe only hybrids existing now?)

Note: the taxonomic status of this population is not clear;
distinct form not similar to any other northern platyfish, known since 2008 also as "Santa Ana platyfish" or "Tunnel platyfish"

  Xiphophorus sp. "Regio"