I Platypoecilus maculatus 



WALTER LAKfNOT BRIMD, F. Z. S. 



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1. Platypoecilus maculatus. 2. Platypoecilus maculata nigra. 3. Hybrid 

 from Platypoecilus maculatus rubra and Xiphophorus helleri. 4. Xiphophorus 

 helleri, female above, male below. Photographs by Dr. E. Bade. 



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Down in the countries of Central 

 America, in the same general localities 

 frequented by the swordtails, we find 

 the members of the genus Platypoecilus. 

 These fishes resemble small, short-bodied 

 swordtails, but lack their characteristic 

 "sword," though some fine specimens of 

 Platypoecilus maculatus rubra occasion- 

 ally exhibit a tendency in this direction, 

 and this without having been crossed 

 with Xiphophorus which, by the way, is 



not difficult to accomplish. Meek in his 

 work, "The Freshwater Fishes of Mex- 

 ico," lists P. maculatus, P. variatus and 

 P. nelsoni. Platypoecilus quitzeoensis B. 

 A. Bean (1898) having previously been 

 made the type of a new genus, Zoogone- 

 ticus, need not be mentioned. 



Most of us are acquainted with P. 

 maculatus, the first species of the genus 

 secured by aquarists, and, in fact, unless 

 we consider the variants developed by 



