Girardinus metallicus Poey, 1854
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Girardinus metallicus, sometimes known as the metallic topminnow or metallic livebearer, is a species of fish from the family of the Poeciliidae. G. metallicus females grow to 7.9 cm in standard length, while males reach 4.5 cm. The species is polymorphous: some males are colorless, while others have pronounced black or yellow coloring on their undersides. All three morphs occur together in nature. The species is endemic to Cuba, inhabiting both the main island and the Isla de la Juventud. It is common in lowland swamps, lagoons, and flooded savannahs on the main island and in the Itabo River on the Isla de la Juventud. Water tends to be clear and stagnant. It favors sunlit areas where algae grow. It feeds chiefly on detritus, algae, and mud, but occasionally also takes insect larvae and small fish. Girardinus metallicus was initially thought to rely exclusively on coerced mating to reproduce; this is the only sexual behavior known in the colorless and yellow morphs.
Wikipedia contributors, Girardinus metallicus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:36:41.125046+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Girardinus metallicus Poey, 1854
- Name authority
- Poey, 1854
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Family
- Poeciliidae
- Genus
- Girardinus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCyprinodontiformes
- familyPoeciliidae Bonaparte, 1831
- subfamilyPoeciliinae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusGirardinus Poey, 1854
- speciesGirardinus metallicus Poey, 1854
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Girardinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Girardinus denticulatus Garman, 1895 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Girardinus falcatus (Eigenmann, 1903) | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Girardinus microdactylus Rivas, 1944 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Girardinus uninotatus Poey, 1860 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Girardinus creolus Garman, 1895 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Girardinus garmani Eigenmann, 1903 Eigenmann, 1903 | synonym |
| Girardinus pygmaeus Rivas, 1944 Rivas, 1944 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Poey, F. (1851). Memorias sobre la historia natural de la Isla de Cuba, acompañadas de sumarios Latinos y extractos en Francés. La Habana, v. 1: 1–463, Pls. 1–34. [publication dates following Norman, 1938: 1–40, pls 1–8 (Nov 1851); 40–120, pls 9–14 (Apr 1852); 121–200, pls 15–22 (Oct 1852); 201–280, pls 23–30 (May 1853); 281–463, pls 31–34 (Jun 1854)]. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3G3P3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.