Humpbacked Limia

COMMON NAMES: Hump-backed or Black-barred Limia.

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Limia nigrofasciata (seeunder Linzia melanogaster).

SYNONYM: Poecilia nzgrofasciata.DESIGNATION: Tropical.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: Haiti.

SIZE: Males up to 5.5 cm (c. 2 in); females upto 6 cm (2.5 in).

WATER PREFERENCES: Slightly alkaline wateraround 26°C (79°F) is preferred. A slightlyhigher temperature will also reduce the timeinterval between broods of fry.

DIET: Should be varied and include avegetable component.

BREEDING: Males are not as vigorous as inL.melanogaster but broods are generallylarger, i.e. up to around 50 every 6-10 weeks.DESCRIPTION: Limia nigrofasczata is a warmth-loving species in whichtemperature has been reported to play a partin sex determination, with females becomingmore numerous the higher the temperatureat which developing juveniles are maintained. Although I, personally, cannotrefute this phenomenon, I have never beenable to obtain conclusive evidence from myown breeding programmes.

An unusual, and rather attractive, featureof this beautiful species is the pronouncedhump and keel-like ventral region (betweenthe anal and caudal fins) which ischaracteristic of fully mature males.

Humpbacked Limia Information

• The humpbacked limia is native to the place named Hispanola, which is located in Dominican Republic and Haiti.
• The waters in which the fish lives are of medium hardness above dGH and slightly alkaline in nature. The fish mainly resides in shallow waters with dense vegetation. The temperature ranges from 72F to 79F or 22-26C.
• The fish is found in both fresh water and brackish waters. While preparing the tank water for the fish you should ideally add a half teaspoon full of salt for every gallon of water.
• A close watch will help you to differentiate the sex of the fish. The male fish is yellow gray in color on the dorsal side and black stripes pass through the entire stretch of the body. The region from the mouth to the belly up to the caudal peduncle is bright yellow in color. A very peculiar characteristic feature of the male fish is that of the development of hump. The hump on the fish is actually not a spinal deformity and it is rather the accumulation of fatty tissues. The dorsal fins of the fish have black spots and stripes with a slightly yellowish tinge.
• Instead of yellow the ventral part of a female fish is white. The female fish is larger in size than its male counterpart. A male fish grows up to the size of 2 inches while the female grows to a size of 2 and half inches.
• The humpbacked limia is actually a wonderful community tank fish. It can also live in a tank of its own.
• The tank must be well planted as this will help the fry to hide. The parents have the habit of eating up the babies. So, you are recommended to separate the babies and raise them in separate tank.