Teleostei (teleosts) >
Cyprinodontiformes (Rivulines, killifishes and live bearers) >
Poeciliidae (Poeciliids) > Poeciliinae
Etymology: Phalloceros: Greek, phallos = penis + Greek, keras = horn (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; pelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 8.0; dH range: 9 - 19; non-migratory. Tropical; 20°C - 24°C (Ref. 1672)
South America: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil southward to Uruguay and Argentina (Ref. 9086). Introduced mainly for mosquito control (Ref. 1739). At least one country reports adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.5 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26681); 6.0 cm TL (female)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 9. Dorsal fin short; pectoral fin small, not reaching back to level of pelvic fin bases; body and fins covered with a profusion of black patches; tip of gonopodium of male with a distinctly downturned hook (Ref 54372).
Inhabits swamps and drains of Perth metropolitan area, Western Australia (Ref. 44894). Omnivorous.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
After about 24 days gestation, 10 to 50 young are born.
Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley, 1989. Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 665 p. (Ref. 7300)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00912 (0.00459 - 0.01811), b=3.14 (2.97 - 3.31), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.0 ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).