NFC: parthenogenic mollies

["Thomas DeWitt" <tdewitt at tamu_edu>]

Nicole,
Sperm storage is indeed common for livebearers, and that accounts for the second brood of black mollies in the absence of a male.  

Note however, we have a parthenogenic "species" of molly as one of our native fishes.  Poecilia formosa, the "Amazon molly" lives in SW Texas and down into Mexico.  These fish are nearly all female and reproduce by parthenogenesis rather than by sexual reproduction.  Interestingly, however, they seem to need to be fertilized by either P. latipinna (sailfin molly) or P. sphenops males.  The sperm is not used to fertilize eggs.  But the fertilization event seems to be necessary to stimulate ripening of parthenogenetic eggs.

-Thom DeWitt

>>> a_moogi at yahoo_com 03/20/02 03:39PM >>>
Hello,
I resentley got a black molly and about a week after i bought it, she had a
brood of eight fry then about a month later she had fifteen more, but she is
the only molly we have! So I was wondering if Black molly's could get them
selvis pregnet?

Nicole

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