What is the scientific name of the guppy, a small freshwater livebearer?

The scientific name of the guppy is Poecilia reticulata.

The guppy is a small live-bearing fish native to parts of northeastern South America and several nearby Caribbean islands. It has been introduced widely for mosquito-control programs and is now found in tropical and subtropical waters around the world.

Male guppies are generally smaller and more brightly patterned than females. Instead of laying eggs externally, females give birth to free-swimming young after internal fertilization. This reproductive strategy is one reason guppies became important subjects in studies of sexual selection and evolution.

Guppies are sometimes confused with mollies, platies, and swordtails because all are popular livebearers in the aquarium trade. Those fish belong to different species or genera. The guppy’s accepted scientific name combines the genus Poecilia with the species name reticulata.