HomeFreshwater aquarium fishGuppies & livebearersAmazon molly Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa) Scientific name: Poecilia formosa Girard, 1859 The Amazon molly (Poecilia formosa) is a freshwater fish of the family Poeciliidae. BiologyDorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12. Similar to females of P. latipinna but lacks rows of brown spots on side (may have row of dusky black spots).Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific namePoecilia formosaFamilyPoeciliidae (Poeciliids)OrderCyprinodontiformes (Live bearers, Killifishes and Rivulines)ClassActinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)Maximum length9.6Common length5.5EnvironmentFreshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; non-migratoryClimateSubtropicalDistributionNorth America: lower Nueces River (where possibly introduced) and lower Rio Grande, extreme southern Texas, to Veracruz in Mexico. Introduced populations at San Antonio and San Marcos, Texas.Conservation status (IUCN)Not EvaluatedThreat to humansHarmlessUsesFisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercialResilienceHigh, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.) More guppies & livebearersSailfin mollyPoecilia latipinnaGuppyPoecilia reticulataGreen swordtailXiphophorus helleriiSouthern platyfishXiphophorus maculatusMosquitofishGambusia affinisMollyPoecilia sphenopsSee all guppies & livebearers SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.Last updated 27 September 2026