shortfin molly
Poecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863
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.
Poecilia mexicana
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Open encyclopedia reference
Poecilia mexicana, commonly known as the Atlantic molly, is a species of poeciliid fish native to the Atlantic slope of Middle America. The species is highly variable in coloration, shape, and size. Atlantic mollies occur in fresh and brackish waters, shallow and slow-flowing or standing. They feed chiefly on algae and detritus. Two populations are found in caves and represent some of the best-studied cavefish. It hybridizes with other Poecilia species in its range; one such cross has resulted in the unisexual P. formosa.
Wikipedia contributors, Poecilia mexicana; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:18:28.397315+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Poecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863
- Name authority
- Steindachner, 1863
- Common name
- shortfin molly
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cyprinodontiformes
- Family
- Poeciliidae
- Genus
- Poecilia
- 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
- genusPoecilia Bloch & Schneider, 1801
- speciesPoecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Poecilia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Poecilia boesemani Poeser, 2003 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pacific MollyPoecilia butleri Jordan, 1889 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia caucana (Steindachner, 1880) | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia caudofasciata (Regan, 1913) | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia dauli Meyer & Radda, 2000 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia elegans (Trewavas, 1948) | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia gillii (Kner, 1863) | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia koperi Poeser, 2003 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia sarrafae Bragança & Costa, 2011 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mexican mollyPoecilia sphenops Valenciennes, 1846 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia teresae Greenfield, 1990 | PoeciliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Poecilia vandepolli Van Lidth de Jeude, 1887 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Poecilia cuneata Garman, 1895 Garman, 1895 | synonym |
| Poecilia limantouri Jordan & Snyder, 1899 Jordan & Snyder, 1899 | synonym |
| Poecilia mexicana mexicana Steindachner, 1863 Steindachner, 1863 | 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.
- Steindachner, F. (1863). Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Sciaenoiden Brasiliens und der Cyprinodonten Mejicos. Sitzungsberichte Der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Classe Der Kaiserlichen Akademie Der Wissenschaften, v. 48 (1. Abth.): 162–185, Pls. 1–4. [Also as a separate, Wien, pp. 1–24, Pls. 1–4.]. 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.
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:77T5N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.