Genus · Livebearers

Heterophallus

Heterophallus is a genus with 3 species in this atlas, catalogued in the Livebearers section, recorded from Mexico. Every species below links to a full researched profile.

Species in atlas
3
Adult sizes
1.5 in
IUCN assessed
3 of 3
Recorded from
Mexico

About the genus

Heterophallus is a genus of livebearing fish in family Poeciliidae, closely related to Gambusia and endemic to river systems of southeastern Mexico. The atlas covers all 3 known species, small fish around 1.5 in, each named for the drainage it comes from — the Maya gambusia (H. echeagarayi), Grijalva gambusia (H. milleri), and Coatzacoalcos gambusia (H. rachovii).

This is a genus of essentially scientific rather than aquarium interest: none of the three species is established in the hobby, and all three currently carry a Data Deficient conservation rating. That uniform Data Deficient status is itself worth noting — it typically signals narrow-range endemics that simply have not been surveyed enough to assign a firmer category, rather than fish known to be secure, and southeastern Mexico's river systems face real pressure from damming and water development.

IUCN Red List: Data Deficient · 3

The 3 species

Every Heterophallus recorded in this atlas. Each card links to a full researched profile — distribution, water parameters, and aquarium care, cited to primary sources.

(Álvarez, 1952)

Maya gambusia, Guayacón maya

1.5 in TL · DD

Radda, 1987

Grijalva gambusia, Grijalva mosquitofish

DD

Regan, 1914

Coatzacoalcos gambusia, Guayacón jarocho

1.5 in TL · DD

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How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Genus Heterophallus. Aquarist Atlas. https://www.aquaristatlas.com/heterophallus/

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