- Origin: South America
- Order: Cyprinodontiformes
- Family: Poeciliidés
The guppy is a tropical freshwater fish that was introduced in many countries to fight malaria. The male guppy is much more colourful and variable in shape than its mate, and also has a gonopod, an anal fin transformed into a copulation organ. Many different fin shapes and colours are obtained by selection, with wild specimens being much less elaborate and less colourful than farmed specimens.
It is an omnivorous, active and peaceful fish. Males are smaller, measuring between 3 and 5 cm, while females can measure up to 7 cm. Males are polygamous, and their ardour can tire out the females if these are in smaller number. The guppy is ovoviviparous, meaning that the eggs have hatched in the belly of the female, which directly ejects spawn capable of moving and feeding freely.
UICN Status : least concern (Appendix III)