#amazon molly

The Amazon Molly might not be a true Amazonian warrior, but they do carry on the tradition of being an all-female group! This species reproduces via gynogenisis, in which they mate with a male from a closely related species to trigger the release of eggs but the sperm is destroyed before they can fertilize them. Instead, the eggs develop into identical clones of their mother.

Amazon molly!

I was looking far and wide for an asexual fish and got two results. One of wich you see above, being known as the amazon molly. All amazon mollys are female. And whilst they do in fact reproduce asexually, its a little more complicated than that.

Good Golly Miss Amazon Molly!

The Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa) is a species of fish found only in the Tuxpan River, the Rio Grande, and the Nueces River in northern Mexico and the southern United States. Within these rivers, P. formosa typically prefers slower moving streams and ditches with plenty of vegetation, and are usually found in freshwater systems.

Amazon mollies are rather small and plain. The body is teardrop-shaped, and adults only grow up to 10 cm (3 in) long. They are mainly silver in color, although they may have rows of small, light brown spots running down their sides. In addition, some individuals may have black spots along their dorsal and tail fins.

Like most other mollies, the Amazon molly is an omnivore. They may feed on algae, seaweed, insects, and mosquito larvae. In turn, they themselves can be prey for larger aquatic insects like giant water bugs, other fishes, alligators, frogs, egrets and herons, and racoons. To avoid predators, P. formosa tends to stay in groups where it is less easy to be singled out.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Amazon molly are its reproductive habits. This species is entirely female, and reproduces via a process called gynogenesis. First, females are courted by males from other molly species such as P. latipinna, P. mexicana, P. latipunctata, or P. sphenops. Mating triggers the release of eggs, but the male's sperm is destroyed before it can fertilize them. Instead, the male gets the advantage of increased attractiveness to females of their own species, as these females are more likely to mate with males that have already mated with P. formosa.

After mating, the female broods her eggs for 30-40 days. She then gives live birth to anywhere from 60 to 100 fry, which are all clones of their mother. These young recieve no further parental care, but are fairly independent and are fully capable of reproduction after about 1-6 months, depending on the temperature of the water; warmer waters increase the rate of maturity. Individuals can live anywhere from 1-3 years in the wild.

Conservation status: the IUCN considers the Amazon molly to be Least Concern. However, one of the species that are used to trigger reproduction, the broadspotted molly (Poecilia latipunctata) is Critically Endangered. Primary threats to the Amazon molly include habitat degradation or loss due to construction and damming.

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Photos

Mermay 06, Dolly (Molly)

Dolly was a rather famous sheep who got cloned (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_(sheep))