Can Mosquito Fish crossbreed with Guppies?

[Andrew Beard]

I have a red Guppy male with three wild Mosquito females and im curious to know if it is possible for them to breed. I also wanted to know if Mollies really can breed with Guppies. A response would be great!

 

[NickT]

a mollie guppie cross is somthing that can happen.
however im not shure about the mosquito fish..... do teh male guppies display for the mosquito fish (sicking the dorsal strait up and shaking his flaird tail while bending into an S shape)
if hes displaying for them maybe he can cross with them but i am compleatly unfamiliar with themosqueto fish.

 

[Opcn]

Mooly guppy crosses have major health problems FYI,

A mosquitoe guppy cross would be great and could bring you alot of money especially if you used some of the norther varieties of gambusa, Personnaly I'd force mate (fish rape) them to get past the barrors in the first generation then breed them on a few generations and test for cold hardyness next winter. then take the cold hardy ones and breed for color. Good luck

 

[sylvia]

They can't cross-breed - guppies are poecillia sp. whilst mosquito fish are heterandria sp. The fry would probably not even develop if you managed to artificialy impregnate a female and they deffinately wouldn't survive. Guppies and mollies can cross-breed and I think there is a picture of a golly/muppy lurking in a thread somewhere around here...

Also, male guppies will display and try to mate with anything in the absense of females - this includes other species, whether compatible or not, and other males. As such, displaying or attempting to breed is not necessarily an indication of their ability to produce viable fry.

Mooly guppy crosses have major health problems FYI,

A mosquitoe guppy cross would be great

What makes you think that crossing a guppy and mosquito fish would be great if a guppy/molly cross results in unhealthy offspring? Assuming it were possible I doubt the offspring would have any fewer birth defects than the muppy/golly hybrids.

BTW, not all guppy/molly crosses have problems. I have raised several such fry myself.

 

[sylvia]

Here's the link to the thread conatining the muppy/golly picture:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=66145

 

[Opcn]

I was told on a live bearer forum (Not this one) that gambusa were closely related to guupies, and it would be very cool because mosquitoe fish lack color completely and infuseing them with color would make them more popular and there would be fewer mosquitoes and thats a good thing.

 

[GuppyDude]

masquito fish and guppys can cross but mollys and guppys can not, im almost positive on this.

 

[Shark_Lover]

never know! could happen!!

 

[sylvia]

masquito fish and guppys can cross but mollys and guppys can not, im almost positive on this

Did you see the thread I posted a link to?

I'm positive they can breed cause mine have (guppy x molly).

I could be wrong about the mosquito fish crossing with guppies though but I've never tried it. It just sounds unlikely because they aren't as closely related as mollies are with guppies and most fish can't naturaly inter-breed unless they are in the same genus (take gouramies for example... ever seen a honey x pearl cross?).

 

[bshockstubb]

I agree with guppydude....did a little reserch and that guppy hybrifd you say is really just a picture of a molly in the state of hawaii.(illegal transportation)

My dad has breed mosquito fish and feeder guppies about 35 years ago in his backyard in LA. They look like mosquito fish exept they ahve redish-green sides. Thats just about it....

 

[bshockstubb]

Also FANCY guppies arent as closly related to mesquito fish and as feeder guppies are.

 

[GuppyDude]

if u can provide me pics of these molly guppy hybrids, sure ill beleive you but i dont see it happening, their 2 totally differant fish

 

[sylvia]

I don't have pictures - they're all long dead but the fish are very closely related. I'll try to find some pics on the web...

 

[Opcn]

Guppy Molly Hybrids first arose in the 80's but were soon abandoned because of rampant health problems.

Feeder guppies and fancy guppies and wild guppies and Endlers are all the same species, however they are different populations, The genetic difference is negligable for hybridisation purposes.

Genuses are man made and have no bearing on hybridisation, as a general rule individuals of two seperate species will not interbreed Genus is useually a good indicator of genetic difference but not always.

 

[GuppyDude]

that is interesting information, id like to know what kind of health problems arose in these hybrids,