guppy

guppy
/gup"ee/, n., pl. guppies.
a small, freshwater topminnow, Poecilia reticulata, often kept in aquariums. Also called rainbow fish.
[named after R.J.L. Guppy (1836-1916) of Trinidad, who presented specimens to the British Museum; catalogued under the NL name Gerardinus guppyi in 1866]

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Colourful, freshwater, live-bearing topminnows (Lebistes reticulatus and Poecilia reticulata; see killifish) popular as pets in home aquariums.

Guppies are hardy, energetic, easily kept, and prolific. The male, smaller and much more brightly coloured than the female, grows to about 1.5 in. (4 cm). Guppies have been bred in various ornate strains characterized by colour or pattern and by shape and size of the tail and dorsal fins.

(Top) Male and (bottom) female guppies (Lebistes reticulatus)

Jane Burton
Bruce Coleman Ltd.

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▪ fish
 (Poecilia reticulata or Lebistes reticulatus), colourful, live-bearing freshwater fish of the family Poeciliidae, popular as a pet in home aquariums. The guppy is hardy, energetic, easily kept, and prolific. The male guppy, much the brighter coloured of the sexes, grows to about 4 centimetres (1 1/2 inches) long; the female is larger and duller in colour. Guppies have been bred in a number of ornate strains characterized by colour or pattern and by shape and size of the tail and dorsal fins. See also live-bearer.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • guppy — guppy …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Guppy — Guppys, oben ein ♂, unten zwei ♀ einer Wildform unbestimmter Herkunft. Systematik Unterordnung: Cyprinodontoidei …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • Guppy — se puede referir a: Poecilia reticulata, un pez tropical. Robert John Lechmere Guppy (1836 1916), naturalista británico descubridor del pez anterior. Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy, avión de transporte. Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy, avión de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • guppy — [ gypi ] n. m. • mil. XXe; n. pr. ♦ Petit poisson téléostéen d eau douce (cyprinodontidés), richement coloré, qui peut s élever en aquarium. Des guppys ou des guppies. ● guppy nom masculin (de R. P. Guppy, nom propre) Petit poisson vivipare… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Guppy —    , GUPPY SUBMARINE    R. J. Lechmere Guppy (1836 1916), president of the Scientific Association of Trinidad, lends his name to a little tropical fish he discovered that has been the delight of children and adults alike ever since. In 1868 he… …   Dictionary of eponyms

  • guppy — n. [Named after R. J. L. Guppy, who brought speciments to the British museum. RHUD] A small freshwater fish of South America and West Indies ({Lebistes reticulatus} or {Poecilia reticulata}, originaly called {Gerardinus guppyi}), often kept in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • guppy — GÚPPY s. m. Mic peşte de acvariu cu coloraţie bogată şi variată, originar din America de Sud. Din fr. Guppy Trimis de blaurb, 22.03.2006. Sursa: MDN …   Dicționar Român

  • guppy — 1925, named for R.J.L. Guppy, Trinidad clergyman who supplied the first specimen (1866) to the British Museum. The family name is from a place in Dorset. The class of streamlined U.S. submarines (1948) is an acronym from greater underwater… …   Etymology dictionary

  • guppy — ► NOUN (pl. guppies) ▪ a small freshwater fish native to tropical America, widely kept in aquaria. ORIGIN named after the Trinidadian clergyman R. J. Lechmere Guppy (1836 1916), who sent the first specimen to the British Museum …   English terms dictionary

  • guppy — [gup′ē] n. pl. guppies [after R. J. L. Guppy, of Trinidad, who first provided specimens for the British Museum] a small, freshwater fish (Poecilia reticulata), a livebearer native to Barbados, Trinidad, and Venezuela: it is often kept in… …   English World dictionary

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