Global distribution and climatic match of a highly traded ornamental freshwater fish, the sailfin mollyPoecilia latipinna(Lesueur, 1821)

Abstract

Predicting alien species' establishment through climate matching may inform management actions preventing future invasions. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the climate match of the sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) worldwide, with emphasis on Europe and the Mediterranean. A literature review indicated that the species presents a total of 100 non-indigenous occurrences in 29 countries worldwide. Predominantly, it has been introduced within tropical/subtropical climatic zones, where it is usually clustered near ornamental trade centers and malaria affected areas. Overall, sailfin molly distribution reflects a warm-stenothermic tolerance, however, there are validated populations outside the subtropical belt in geothermally heated water bodies. Its invasion potential, assessed by Climatch tool, indicated a low environmental match (5% of the assessed sites) within Europe, whereas in the Mediterranean this rose to 60%, though the species is recorded only at one location. This poor match of the model's output may reflect its inability to take into account local environmental filters. Intolerance to prolonged temperature drops appears to be the leading factor constraining sailfin molly establishment in Europe. Additional constrains on its successful invasion, i.e. specialized habitat requirements, limited propagule supply or reduced reproductive fitness, due to breeding manipulations of commercially available strains, are discussed. Keywords: climate matching / dispersal / invasive / ornamental / poeciliidsRésumé -Correspondance climatique de la distribution mondiale d'un poisson ornemental d'eau douce hautement commercialisé, le molly voile Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821). La prévision de l'établissement d'espèces exotiques par la correspondance climatique peut éclairer les mesures de gestion visant à prévenir de futures invasions. L'objectif de la présente étude était d'évaluer la correspondnace climatique du molly voile (Poecilia latipinna) dans le monde entier, en mettant l'accent sur l'Europe et la Méditerranée. Une analyse bibliographique a révélé que l'espèce présente un total de 100 occurrences non indigènes dans 29 pays à travers le monde. La plupart du temps, elle a été introduite dans les zones climatiques tropicales/subtropicales, où elle est généralement regroupée à proximité des centres commerciaux d'aquariophilie et des zones touchées par le paludisme. Dans l'ensemble, la distribution du molly voile reflète une sténothermie pour les eaux chaudes, mais il existe des populations validées en dehors de la ceinture subtropicale dans les plans d'eau réchauffés par sources chaudes. Son potentiel invasif, évalué par l'outil Climatch, indique une faible concordance environnementale (5% des sites évalués) en Europe, alors qu'en Méditerranée ce taux passe à 60%, bien que l'espèce ne soit signalée qu'à un seul endroit. Cette mauvaise adéquation des résultats du modèle peut refléter son incapacité à prendre en compte les filtres environnementaux locaux. L'intolérance aux baisses de température prolongé...

The Effect of Metformin on the Reproductive Pathway of the Male Sailfin Molly Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821)

“…Fertilized eggs develop into embryos around three to four weeks, and reproduction is repeated every eight to ten weeks, depending on typical environmental conditions (Wischnath, 1993;Yamamoto & Tagawa, 2000). Molly fish have been introduced to tropical and subtropical regions in more than 29 countries around the world, either for biological control of mosquitoes or for commercial purposes (Koutsikos et al 2018). For the characteristics of this species, it is considered a typical model for molecular studies.…”

Effect of diclofenac on bmp1 gene expression and its influence on bone distortion in sailfin molly Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821)

“…It is native to the northeastern coasts of the USA and South America (Markle, 2015). It was introduced to many countries and has been recorded in 29 countries mainly in Asia, Oceania and Central and South America (Koutsikos et al, 2018). P. latipinna has been introduced to some countries in the Middle East, such as Iraq, where it has been recorded in the southern marshes (Hussain et al, 2009), P. latipinna is considered an ornamental fish and can survive in a temperature range of 20-26 °C and a pH range of 7.5-8.5.…”

Resistance from a resident heterospecific affects establishment success of a globally invasive freshwater fish

“…This has been found to be especially true for escaped ornamental fish. For example, Koutsikos et al (2018) showed that the non‐native distribution of the sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna , is determined primarily by water temperature. More broadly, across aquatic systems, Moyle and Light (1996a) argued that if individuals have survived and established beyond initial introduction, abiotic conditions usually are assumed to be appropriate for the invading species.…”