Inland fishes of the Arabian Peninsula: Review and a revised checklist
Author
Esmaeili, Hamid Reza
Ichthyology and Molecular Systematics Research Laboratory, Zoology Section, Department of Biology, School of Science, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.
Author
Hamidan, Neshat
Conservation Monitoring Centre, The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, Amman, Jordan
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-08-15
5330
2
201
226
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5330.2.2
journal article
54377
10.11646/zootaxa.5330.2.2
917715f5-0eb8-41fb-9436-99a1181a5b9b
1175-5326
8249316
AA61E68D-3A1B-45BD-821F-E6AD862F6808
47.
Xiphophorus maculatus
(Günther, 1866)
―Platy, Southern Platyfish―
Exotic
Taxonomy.
Original description:
Platypoecilus maculatus
Günther, 1866:350
[
Mexico
(Central America);
Syntypes
:
BMNH
1857.7.31.11-12
(
2
)
]. Synonyms:
Platypoecilus nigra
Brind, 1914
;
Platypoecilus maculatus
var.
nigra
Gerlach, 1912
;
Platypoecilus maculatus
var.
pulchra
Schreitmüller, 1910
;
Platypoecilus rubra
Stansch, 1914
.
Status in the Arabian Peninsula.
First record from
Saudi Arabia
by
Al-Kahem-Al-Balawi
et al.
(2008)
; confirmed by
Freyhof
et al.
(2020)
.
General distribution.
Southern North America and central America: Atlantic slope of
Mexico
,
Belize
and
Guatemala
; introduced widely elsewhere. Habitat: freshwater.
Distribution in the Arabian Peninsula.
Saudi Arabia
: Wadi Hanifah near
Riyadh
; Al- Kharj and Layla Lake south of
Riyadh
; Al-Ahsa Oasis in eastern province.
Economic importance.
Valuable for the aquarium trade.
Reasons of introduction.
Ornamental fish industry.
Conservation.
Not relevant (introduced species).