Sam Borstein's Cichlid Page


Poecilia wingei
Poeser, Kempkes & Isbrücker, 2005

Endler's Livebearer
Synonyms: Poecilia sp. "endler's livebearer"

Poecilia wingei
Above: A male Endler's Livebearer. Photo by Sam Borstein.

Etymology:

Genus- Poecilia= many colors (Greek).
Species- wingei= named after Dr. Winge.

Intro:

The Endler's Livebearer is a beautiful wild type livebearer related to the guppy. This fish only occurs in a few pools in South America and wild stock is rare. Luckily, this fish is readily available for the aquarium trade from breeders.

Sadly, this fish is beginning to be line bred and the beautiful wild varieties are less and less available. Many people have also started to cross them with Guppies, Poecilia reticulata. The hybridization of these fish should not be encouraged as it is important to keep Endler's pure in the hobby.

Distribution:

This fish is found in a few pools and ponds in South America.

Size, Maturity, and Sexual Dimorphism:

Size: Males- 1.5 inches, Females- 2.5 inches
Maturity: 1.5 inches
Sexual Dimorphism: Males are smaller than females and more colorful. Males also have a gonopodium.

Poecilia wingei female
Above: A female Poecilia wingei. Females lack the outstanding colors the males have. Photo by Sam Borstein.

Care:

This fish is easy to keep. A small group can be kept and bred in a ten gallon species tank. This fish can also be put with docile fish in a community tank.

Diet:

These fish will eat anything. I would feed a mixed diet of flake foods and small frozen or live foods.

Breeding:

This livebearer is very prolific. They will breed and breed and breed. The female's gestation is about three week, at which point the fry are born. The fry are small, but are easy to raise on crushed flake. The adults will not harm the fry and they can be raised in the same tank as the adults.

Conclusion:

This is a great livebearer to keep as it is easy to maintain and easy to breed. If you can find a pure line of them, they are a nice fish to keep and I highly recommend them. They are a fun wild Guppy type.

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