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The guppy (), also commonly known as guppie is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poecilidae family (females 4 centimetres long, males 2½–3 centimetres long) and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing. It prefers a hard water aquarium and can withstand levels of salinity up to 150% sea water (58 ppt sodium chloride), which has led to them being occasionally included in marine tropical community tanks, as well as in freshwater tropical tanks. Its most famous characteristic is its propensity for breeding.
Taxonomy Robert John Lechmere Guppy (1836-1916) discovered this tiny fish in Trinidad in 1866, although the fish was known to German aquarists prior to that time. Over time, many species are assigned a different taxonomic name. The guppy is no exception: Ecology and behaviour There is a great deal of variety between the populations, many with distinctive coloring or patterning. Those that live in habitats where predators are common tend to be less vividly decorated. Populations that deal with fewer predators are much more colorful. Recent studies suggest that vividly colored males are favored via sexual selection while natural selection via predation favors subdued tones. As a result, the dominant phenotypes observed within a reproductively isolated community are a function of the relative importance each factor has in a particular environment. Occasionally male guppies may behave aggressively towards each other, engaging in fin-nipping and other bullying behaviour. This behaviour is also sometimes exhibited towards other top swimmers like platys and swordtails and occasionally other fish with prominent fins such as angelfish. Guppies live in complex networks, choosing social partners and remembering them. . The extensive work on guppies is summarised in Anne Magurran's Evolutionary Ecology: the Trinidadian guppy. Reproduction
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