View source for Limia

{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{other uses}}
{{good article}}
{{Automatic_taxobox
| image = Limia tridens (1) (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Limia tridens|L. tridens]]''
| taxon = Limia
| authority = [[Felipe Poey y Aloy|Poey]], 1854
| type_species = ''[[Limia cubensis]]''
| type_species_authority = Poey, 1854<ref name = CofF>{{Cof record|genid=2254|title = ''Limia''|access-date=5 November 2019}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Species
}}

'''''Limia''''' is a [[genus (biology)|genus]] of [[ovoviviparity|livebearing]] fishes belonging to the [[Cyprinodontiform]] family [[Poeciliidae]]. It comprises 22 [[described species]] found in fresh, [[brackish water|brackish]], saltwater, and [[hypersaline]] habitats of the [[Greater Antilles]] islands in the [[Caribbean Sea]]. A vast majority are [[endemic]] to [[Hispaniola]]. There has been a long-running debate on whether ''Limia'' should be considered a [[subgenus]] of ''[[Poecilia]]'' rather than a full genus. Most ''Limia'' species are [[detrivore]]s and [[herbivore]]s. Due to their small size and coloring, they are sometimes kept in home [[aquarium|aquaria]].

== Taxonomy ==
The [[genus (biology)|genus]] ''Limia'' belongs to [[Poecilidae]], the most abundant and species-rich [[family (biology)|family]] of freshwater fish on the [[Greater Antilles]].<ref name="Rodet"/> The generic name ''Limia'', derived from Latin, refers to the muddy [[habitat]] of the [[type species]], ''[[Limia vittata|L. vittata]]''. The genus was established in 1854 by [[Felipe Poey|Poey]]. [[Donn Eric Rosen|Rosen]] and [[Reeve Maclaren Bailey|Bailey]] made it a [[subgenus]] of the genus ''[[Poecilia]]'' in their major reclassification of the poeciliid genera in 1963. Rivas, among others, continued to recognize ''Limia'' as a distinct genus and resurrected it in 1978, describing eight new species in 1980.<ref name="Coletti">{{cite magazine|first=Ted|last=Coletti|title=Livebearers Unlimited: The Caribbean Jewels|magazine=[[Tropical Fish Hobbyist]]|publisher=[[TFH Publications]]|url=https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/the-caribbean-jewels|date=November 2007}}</ref>

Other Poecilidae genera found on the Antilles include ''Poecilia'', ''[[Gambusia]]'', and the [[endemic]] genera ''[[Girardinus]]'' and ''[[Barred topminnow|Quintana]]''. ''Limia'', however, is represented on the islands by more species than any other poeciliid genus, with 22 currently known from [[Cuba]], [[Grand Cayman]], [[Hispaniola]], and [[Jamaica]].<ref name="Rodet"/> Cuba, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica each have one endemic species: ''L. vittata'', ''[[Limia caymanensis|L. caymanensis]]'', and ''[[Limia melanogaster|L. melanogaster]]'', respectively. The rest are found exclusively on Hispaniola, making the island a center of endemism for the genus. Their distribution on Hispaniola indicates an [[evolutionary radiation]] from [[Lake Miragoâne]] on the [[Tiburon Peninsula]] in particular. Nine species endemic to the lake have been described: ''[[Limia fuscomaculata|L. fuscomaculata]]'', ''[[Limia garnieri|L. garnieri]]'', ''[[Limia grossidens|L. grossidens]]'', ''[[Limia immaculata|L. immaculata]]'', ''[[Limia islai|L. islai]]'', ''[[Limia mandibularis|L. mandibularis]]'', ''[[Limia miragoanensis|L. miragoanensis]]'', ''[[Limia nigrofasciata|L. nigrofasciata]]'', and ''[[Limia ornata|L. ornata]]''.<ref name="Rodet"/><ref name="Spikes">{{cite journal|first1=Montrai|last1=Spikes|first2=Rodet|last2=Rodríguez-Silva|first3=Kerri-Ann|last3=Bennett|first4=Stefan|last4=Bräger|first5=James|last5=Josaphat|first6=Patricia|last6=Torres-Pineda|first7=Anja|last7=Ernst|first8=Katja|last8=Havenstein|first9=Ingo|last9=Schlupp|first10=Ralph|last10=Tiedemann |title=A phylogeny of the genus Limia (Teleostei: Poeciliidae) suggests a single-lake radiation nested in a Caribbean-wide allopatric speciation scenario|journal=BMC Research Notes|volume=14|number=425|doi=10.1186/s13104-021-05843-x|year=2021|page=425 |doi-access=free |pmid=34823576 |pmc=8613956}}</ref>

===Evolution and phylogeny===
{{cladogram|title=|align=right|caption=Phylogenetic relationships of ''Limia'', based on the [[mitochondrial DNA|mitochondrial]] (mt) [[cytochrome b]] gene<ref name="Spikes"/>
|clades={{clade|style=font-size:80%;line-height:80%
|1={{clade
|label1=''Limia''
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
 |1=Lake Miragoâne group
 }}
|2={{clade
|1={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia dominicensis|L. dominicensis]]''
 }}
|2={{clade
|1={{clade
|1={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia melanonotata|L. melanonotata]]''
 }}
|2={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia perugiae|L. perugiae]]''
 }}
|3={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia sulphurophila|L. sulphuropila]]''
 }}
 }}
 }}
|3={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia rivasi|L. rivasi]]''
 }}
 }}
}}
|2={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia yaguajali|L. yaguajali]]''
 }}
 }}
|2={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia caymanensis|L. caymanensis]]''
 |2=''[[Limia vittata|L. vittata]]''
 }}
}}
|2={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia versicolor|L. versicolor]]''
 |2=''[[Limia zonata|L. zonata]]''
 }}
}}
|2={{clade
 |1=''[[Limia melanogaster|L. melanogaster]]''
 }}
}}
|2={{clade
 |1=''[[Poecilia dominicensis]]''
 |2=''[[Poecilia hispaniolana]]''
 }}
}}
}}
}}
Most recent studies about the origin of limias conclude that the genus [[colonisation (biology)|colonized]] the Antilles islands through [[oceanic dispersal]] or [[vicariance]].<ref name="Rodet">{{cite journal|first1=Rodet|last1=Rodriguez-Silva|first2=Patricia|last2=Torres-Pineda|first3=James|last3=Josaphat|title=Limia mandibularis, a new livebearing fish (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) from Lake Miragoane, Haiti|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341244507|journal=Zootaxa|volume=4768|issue=3|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4768.3.6|year=2020|pages= 395–404|pmid=33055650 }}</ref> Weaver et al. posit that [[GAARlandia]], a hypothesized [[land bridge]] connecting the area of the modern islands to the South American mainland during the [[Eocene–Oligocene transition]], might have enabled the fish to reach the Antilles through a combination of dispersal, vicariance, and [[oceanic dispersal|island hopping]]. Weaver et al. believe that ''Limia'' ancestors are unlikely to have arrived exclusively over land, however, because ''Limia'' and all other native Antillean species are tolerant of saltwater; if a land bridge had been sufficient, intolerant species would have also colonized the islands.<ref name ="Weaver"/>

''Limia'' forms a [[clade]] with ''[[Pamphorichthys]]'', ''[[Mollienesia]]'', ''[[Micropoecilia]]'', and ''Poecilia''.<ref name ="Spikes"/> Some authorities advocate for all of these taxa to be considered separate genera, while others maintain that some or all of them should be treated as subgenera of the genus ''Poecilia''. The [[sister clade]] to ''Limia'' is the one formed by the Hispaniolan ''Poecilia'' species ''[[Poecilia elegans|P. elegans]]'', ''[[Poecilia dominicensis|P. dominicensis]]'', and ''[[Poecilia hispaniolana|P. hispaniolana]]''; all three have been found to be more closely related to ''Limia'' than to other ''Poecilia'' species, adding to the uncertainty in the taxonomic designations of ''Poecilia''. ''Limia'' and the Hispaniolan ''Poecilia'' species [[speciation|diverged]] from ''Pamphorichthys'' during the Eocene–Oligocene transition.<ref name="Weaver">{{Cite journal|title=Colonizing the Caribbean: Biogeography and evolution of livebearing fishes of the genus Limia (Poeciliidae)|access-date=10 April 2023|first1=Pablo |last1=Weaver|first2=Alexander|last2=Cruz|first3=Steven Euston |last3=Johnson|first4=Julia|last4=Dupin|first5=Kathleen|last5=Weaver|journal=Journal of Biogeography|doi=10.1111/jbi.12798|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304536347|volume=43|issue=9|date=June 2016|pages=1808–1819 |bibcode=2016JBiog..43.1808W |s2cid=89184942 |archive-date=10 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410114724/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304536347_Colonizing_the_Caribbean_Biogeography_and_evolution_of_livebearing_fishes_of_the_genus_Limia_Poeciliidae|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[basal species|first to split off]] from the other ''Limia'' species, near the [[Oligocene–Miocene boundary]], was ''L. melanogaster'',<ref name="Weaver"/><ref name="Spikes"/> which went on to colonize Jamaica.<ref name="Spikes"/> This was followed by the colonization of the combined Cuba-Hispaniola landmass. When the [[Windward Passage]] divided the landmass into the modern islands of Cuba and Hispaniola, the ancestors of ''L. vittata'' and ''L. caymanensis'' split from the Hispaniolan species.<ref name="Weaver"/>

===Species===
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Based on the number and shape of [[fish teeth|teeth]] and [[Operculum (fish)|preopercular]] pores, Rivas separated the ''Limia'' species into two subgenera: ''Limia'' and ''Odontolimia''. All seven ''Odontolimia'' species are endemic to Lake Miragoâne.<ref name="Rivas">{{cite journal|first=Luis R.|last=Rivas|title=Eight new species of poeciliid fishes of the genus Limia from Hispaniola |year=1980|journal=Northeast Gulf Science|volume=4|number=1|pages=29–31|access-date=4 August 2024|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301290799.pdf}}</ref> One species, ''Pseudolimia heterandria'' from Venezuela, was placed in the genus ''Limia'' when it was described in 1913, but was moved to its own genus, ''[[Pseudolimia]]'', in 2002.<ref name="Poeser">{{cite journal|first=Fred N.|last=Poeser|title=Pseudolimia n. gen., a new monotypic genus for Limia heterandria Regan, 1913 (Teleostei:Poeciliidae)|year=2002|journal=Beaufortia|volume=52|issue=6|pages=53–56|access-date=15 September 2024|url=https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/504959/BEAU2002052006001.pdf}}</ref>
{{clear}}
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
====''Odontolimia''====
* ''[[Limia fuscomaculata]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (blotched limia)
* ''[[Limia garnieri]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (Garnier's limia)
* ''[[Limia grossidens]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (largetooth limia)
* ''[[Limia immaculata]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (plain limia)
* ''[[Limia mandibularis]]'' <small>Rodriguez-Silva, Torres-Pineda & Josaphat, 2020</small> (jawed limia)
* ''[[Limia miragoanensis]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (Miragoane limia)
* ''[[Limia ornata]]'' <small>[[Charles Tate Regan|Regan]], 1913</small> (ornate limia)
<br>
====''Limia''====
* ''[[Limia caymanensis]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]] & [[William Lee Fink|W. L. Fink]], 1970</small> (Grand Cayman limia)
* ''[[Limia dominicensis]]'' <small>([[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1846)</small> (Tiburon Peninsula limia)
* ''[[Limia islai]]'', <small>Rodriguez-Silva & Weaver, 2020</small> (tiger limia)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-16 |title=Tiger Limia |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/177038422/177038441 |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=[[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]]}}</ref>
* ''[[Limia melanogaster]]'' <small>([[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1866)</small> (blackbelly limia)
* ''[[Limia melanonotata]]'' <small>[[John Treadwell Nichols|Nichols]] & [[George S. Myers|G. S. Myers]], 1923</small> (blackbanded limia)
* ''[[Limia nigrofasciata]]'' <small>[[Charles Tate Regan|Regan]], 1913</small> (black-barred limia)
* ''[[Limia pauciradiata]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (few-rayed limia)
* ''[[Limia perugiae]]'' <small>([[Barton Warren Evermann|Evermann]] & [[Howard Walton Clark|H. W. Clark]], 1906)</small> (Perugia's limia)
* ''[[Limia rivasi]]'' <small>[[L. Richard Franz Jr.|L. R. Franz]] & [[George H. Burgess|G. H. Burgess]], 1983</small> (Rivas's limia)
* ''[[Limia sulphurophila]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (sulfur limia)
* ''[[Limia tridens]]'' <small>([[Franz Martin Hilgendorf|Hilgendorf]], 1889)</small><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Lyons, T.J. |author2=Rodríguez-Silva, R. |date=2021 |title=''Limia tridens'' |volume=2021 |page=e.T177038495A177038510 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T177038495A177038510.en |access-date=18 November 2021}}</ref>
* ''[[Limia versicolor]]'' <small>([[Albert Günther|Günther]], 1866)</small> (varicolored limia)
* ''[[Limia vittata]]'' <small>([[Alphone Guichenot|Guichenot]], 1853)</small> (Cuban limia)
* ''[[Limia yaguajali]]'' <small>[[Luis René Rivas|Rivas]], 1980</small> (Yaguajal limia)<ref>{{cite iucn |author=Rodríguez-Silva, R. |author2=Rodriguez, C. |author3=Schlupp, I. |author4=Lyons, T.J. |date=2021 |title=''Limia yaguajali'' |volume=2021 |page=e.T125986113A125986653 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T125986113A125986653.en |access-date=18 November 2021}}</ref>
* ''[[Limia zonata]]'' <small>([[John Treadwell Nichols|Nichols]], 1915)</small> (striped limia)
{{div col end}}

==Ecology==
[[File:Habitat Limia 51071623241 6f1fa1cd2c.jpg|thumb|A typical habitat of ''L. sulphurophila'' and ''L. melanonotata'']]
Most ''Limia'' species inhabit inland waters<ref name="Rodet"/> such as rivers, springs, and lakes. Some are confined to relatively cool mountain streams.<ref name="Haney">{{cite journal|first1=Dennis C.|last1=Haney|first2=Stephen J.|last2=Walsh|title=Influence of salinity and temperature on the physiology of Limia melanonotata (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae): A search for abiotic factors limiting insular distribution in Hispaniola|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237566674|journal=Caribbean Journal of Science|volume=39|issue=3|doi=|date=December 2003|page=327 |bibcode=2003CarJS..39..327H }}</ref> While most are found in freshwater habitats, some species inhabit [[karst]] environments high in dissolved inorganic salts or in saline lakes. A few are even found in [[hypersaline]] coastal [[lagoon]]s.<ref name="Rodet"/><ref name ="Spikes"/>

Most ''Limia'' species prefer to feed on [[detritus]] and [[algae]], with some Hispaniolan species, such as ''L. nigrofasciata'', showing a [[specialist species|specialization]] in [[detrivory]]. A trend towards a [[limnivore]] diet has also been recorded in the genus. Widespread species such as ''L. perugiae'', ''L. versicolor'', and ''L. zonata'' have been found to have a more [[generalist species|generalized]] diet, which (especially in the [[wet season]]) includes [[aquatic invertebrate]]s.<ref name="Montrai">{{Cite journal|first1=Rodet|last1=Rodriguez-Silva|first2=Montrai|last2=Spikes|first3=Manuel|last3=Iturriaga| first4=Kerri-Ann|last4=Bennett|first5=
James|last5=Josaphat|first6=Patricia|last6=Torres-Pineda| first7=Stefan|last7=Bräger |first8=Ingo|last8=Schlupp|title=Feeding strategies and diet variation in livebearing fishes of the genus ''Limia'' (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) in the Greater Antilles|date=11 October 2021|journal=Ecology of Freshwater Fish|volume=31|issue=2|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eff.12638|access-date=22 September 2023|doi=10.1111/eff.12638|pages=389–400|s2cid=244612970 |url-access=subscription|doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Traits ==
Limias are small fish, ranging from {{cvt|1|in}} to {{cvt|3|in}}. Many limias have glimmering [[fish scales|scales]] and the color of the sides of the body often contrasts the color of the fins. Hispaniolan limias tend to have color in their dorsal fin. Those native to [[Haiti]] (western Hispaniola) often have stripes.<ref name="Coletti"/>
[[File:Limia melanogaster.jpg|thumb|A male ''L. melanogaster'' courting a female]]
Like many poeciliid fish, limias are [[livebearers]].<ref name="Rodet"/> Three species exhibit elaborate premating behavior, with males performing [[courtship display]] for females: ''L. melanogaster'', ''L. nigrofasciata'', and ''L. perugiae''. The courtship display evolved in the genus on at least two, and possibly three, separate occasions. Traits such as black edges of the [[caudal fin]] and black undersides of the body are [[phylogenetically]] correlated with courtship display and probably reflect [[female choice]]. The other mating strategy, available to the courting species as well, is the gonopodial thrusting (also called opportunistic mating, forced copulation, or sneak-and-chase), which is ancestral in poeciliids and involves the males attempting to mate without female cooperation. The males' vertical bars and yellow coloration in the caudal fin appear to have evolved before courtship.<ref name="Hamilton">{{cite thesis|first=Aaron|last=Hamilton|title=Molecular Phylogenetics and the Evolution of Courtship Behavior, Body Shape, and Coloration in the Livebearing Fish Genus Limia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSsJIT7PJkkC|publisher=University of California, Riverside|year=2001|page=vii}}</ref>

== Fishkeeping ==
Limias' small size makes them suitable for keeping in home [[aquarium|aquaria]]. Most species can be maintained in a {{cvt|10|USgal}} aquarium.<ref name="Coletti"/> Limias, particularly ''L. melanogaster'' and ''L. nigrofasciata'', were more common in the [[fishkeeping]] hobby until the advent of the [[animal fancy|fancy]] varieties of [[guppies]], mollies, [[platies]], and [[swordtail]]s.<ref name="Monks">{{Cite web|title=7 Forgotten Livebearers|author=Neal Monks|author-link=Neale Monks|url=https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/7-forgotten-livebearers-full-article|publisher=Tropical Fish Hobbyist|access-date=2023-04-12|archive-date=2023-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412202930/https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/freshwater/7-forgotten-livebearers-full-article|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

{{Taxonbar|from=Q134424}}

[[Category:Limia| ]]
[[Category:Poeciliidae]]
[[Category:Freshwater fish genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Felipe Poey]]
[[Category:Ray-finned fish genera]]