Southern platy (Xiphophorus maculatus) is found widely from much of Veracruz through Tabasco and Campeche to Quintano Roo and south to Oaxaca and to Belize. The maximum standard length of this platy is about 4.5 cm or a total length of about 2 inches. This platy has a dark spot near the base of the tail in the male, and the female has a dark spot at the end of the body.

The platy and swordtail genus (Xiphophorus) is generally a Central American genus. There are two groups of popular aquarium fish in this genus: the platys and the swordtails. (The Platypoecilus genus used to contain the platys while the Xiphophorus genus contained the swordtails. However, swordtails without tails and platys with tails were discovered, and consequently, this entire group has been merged into the Xiphophorus genus.)

There has been so much interbreeding in this genus that most of the aquarium trade fishes are no longer native wild forms. Robert Rush Miller in his 2005 book on the freshwater fishes of Mexico has detailed entries for about 21 species native to Mexico.

The Poeciliidae (equal Poecilidae) are a group of live bearing fish native to both North and South America. This family includes many tropical species favored by the pet store industry. There are probably about 18O species in the family. The mosquitofish (Gsambusia affinis) has been introduced widely around the world and is probably the most widely distributed fresh water fish. The guppy, platy, swordtail, and others belong here.

Atheriniformes group of fish consists of diverse marine and freshwater kinds. It includes many of the tropical aquarium fish (guppies, mollies, and platies), flying fish, and the needle fish of the ocean.

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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