Pittier's Livebearer (Phallichthys pittieri) Care Guide
Phallichthys pittieri is a Central American livebearer of the family Poeciliidae, now treated as the orange-dorsal form of Phallichthys amates from Atlantic Costa Rica and Panama.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Phallichthys pittieri is a small Central American livebearer of the family Poeciliidae. GBIF treats it as Phallichthys amates pittieri (Meek, 1912), the orange-dorsal form distinguished by an orange band along the dorsal-fin edge. FishBase records the species (as Phallichthys amates) to about 7 cm standard length in males and 6 cm in females.
Taxonomy
- Family: Poeciliidae
- Genus: Phallichthys
- Scientific name: Phallichthys pittieri
- Accepted name (GBIF): Phallichthys amates pittieri (Meek, 1912)
Habitat
FishBase records Phallichthys amates from Atlantic drainages of Central America, from southern Guatemala to Costa Rica and Panama; the pittieri form is associated with this region. It is a freshwater, demersal fish of stagnant waters and river shorelines with soft substrates.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L (21 gal)
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 7.0-8.5
- GH: 10-25 °dGH
- Lifespan: 3-5 years
- Setup: gentle flow with planted cover
Diet
The species is an omnivore. FishBase records feeding on ooze, detritus, diatoms and occasionally filamentous algae and aquatic insects. In captivity it accepts standard prepared foods supplemented with small live or frozen items.
Compatibility
Phallichthys is a peaceful mid-water swimmer suited to community tanks with other small, calm livebearers and similar species. It should not be housed with aggressive or much larger fish.
Breeding
The species is a livebearer. FishBase records broods of 10-80 young after about a 28-day gestation, with females producing successive broods. As with other poeciliids, fertilisation is internal and the young are born free-swimming.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2019) for Phallichthys amates, per FishBase.
Pittier's Livebearer Breeding Guide
Overview
Phallichthys pittieri, Pittier's livebearer, is a Central American poeciliid treated by some authorities as the subspecies Phallichthys amates pittieri, ranging from northern Nicaragua to the Guarumo River in western Panama. Like other Phallichthys it is hardy, peaceful and outgoing, and reproduces as a livebearer. It is distinguished from the nominate form by an orange or orange-red band, with a dark grey band inside it, along the dorsal fin.
Sexing
Within Phallichthys amates, females reach about 64 mm and males about 32 mm, and the pittieri form is roughly 6.4 mm shorter than the nominate. Males carry a long gonopodium that reaches the base of the caudal fin, the defining genus feature. The orange-edged dorsal band marks both sexes.
Conditioning
The species feeds mainly on detritus, ooze and diatoms, with occasional filamentous algae and aquatic insects, so a diet combining vegetable matter with small live or prepared foods brings adults into condition. Wild habitat temperatures range from 20 to 37 °C, indicating a wide thermal tolerance, and like other Phallichthys it stays hardy, peaceful and outgoing, so a stable group readily settles and breeds.
Mating & Gestation
Fertilization is internal via the long gonopodium. Across the genus Phallichthys, gestation lasts about four weeks or, at high temperatures, as little as just over three weeks, and females give birth to 10 to 80 live fry depending on their size, with larger females producing the larger broods.
Birth & Fry Care
Fry are born looking exactly like miniature adults, including the dorsal band, and are self-sufficient, taking small foods from birth without any parental care. Dense planting or moving the gravid female to a separate tank protects fry from predation by adults, which improves yield from each brood.
Common Challenges
Being hardy and undemanding across a broad temperature range, the principal concern is fry survival against adult predation. Adequate cover and a varied diet that combines greenstuff with small live and prepared foods keep a colony breeding steadily. Because some authorities treat this fish as a subspecies of P. amates, broadly similar care and breeding apply across the genus.