If you are going to remain a standard guppy enthusiast and just enjoy your fish, you can skip the article;
However, if you are serious about guppy breeding and later selling and business aspects,
then you want to portray yourself as one that is knowledgeable in the species.
In order to do that you really should know the history of the guppy.
Article Contents
Who discovered the guppy fish?
As per data, In 1866 a gentleman named John Guppy sent the first guppy to London, collected from streams of Trinidad.
They named it, Girardinus guppii in his honor by Albert C. L. G. Günther.
However, further discoveries show that fish already have descriptive records in America.
Why are guppies called guppies?
In honor of Mr. Guppy, the small fish was named after him and this is how this species first got its name.
The consensus is, however, that even though Mr. Guppy has been given the credit for discovering this fish known as the wild guppy that this was not actually true.
What does Guppy mean?
- A Spaniard named De Filippi was the first one to discover a wild guppy,
On Barbados Island in 1862 and at the time of his discovery, he named it the Lebistes Poeciliodes.
2. From 1857 to 1858 a discovery was made by a German individual Julius Gollmer concerning the wild guppy,
because of a filing error and no record keeping at that time, he did not get the credit for this.
Though the fish got attention at the Imperial Persian Academy of Science in Berlin, it didn’t create any excitement.
3. The fish remained in specimen jars at this location until 1859 it got its first scientific description.
4. Then in 1866 the male guppy sent by Gomer to Berlin came into light and was named Gitandinus Guppy.
with the passage of time, the guppy fish finds its way to various museums and hence got 11 various scientific names.
5. later it was discovered that these were not new species of the guppy but different strains.
The guppy’s role in human society
The guppy has been a part of human society for centuries. Its popularity as a pet and as an aquatic food fish is well-known, but the guppy’s history goes back much further than that.
The guppy was discovered in the early 1700s in South America. It was originally called the “crip” by the native peoples there because of its resemblance to a certain type of fish found in the area. The guppy was first brought to Europe by Spanish explorers and was later introduced to other parts of the world.
The guppy is a tropical fish that is found in fresh water and can live in both salt water and brackish water. It grows to a size of about 2 inches long and can live up to 3 years.
The guppy has played an important role in human society for centuries, not just as a food source or pet, but also as an indicator of environmental health.
How the Guppy Got Its Name
The Guppy is a small fish that can be found in many different parts of the world. But, where did this little fish get its name?
The story behind the Guppy’s name is interesting and, in some ways, quite funny. According to legend, back in the days of ancient Greece, a fisherman named Pollux caught a guppy while fishing. When he pulled it out of the water, he noticed that the guppy had six tails. This surprised Pollux, since no other fish in the area had such a unique feature. So Pollux named this new fish “guppy.”
Fast forward many years later and a man named Aristotle was studying natural sciences. While studying guppies, he discovered that they had six anal fins instead of five. This discovery made him realize that these fish were unique and worthy of further study. So Aristotle named this new species “guppy” after Pollux, the fisherman who first caught one!
How to Keep and Breed the Guppy
The guppy is a popular fish that is known for its ability to swim powerfully and quickly. The guppy was first discovered in the early 1800s in the Philippines. It was not until 1881 that the first specimen of a guppy was brought to Europe. Currently, there are over 100 different species of guppies, many of which can be found in the aquarium market.
European discoveries of guppies
In the early 1600s, Europeans discovered guppies in the Amazon. At first, the Europeans thought the guppies were new fish species, but when they caught them and brought them back to Europe, they realized that they were actually seeing a different type of fish. The guppies quickly became popular in Europe and were even used in scientific experiments.
The importation of guppies to the United States
History of guppies:
The guppy is a small, tropical fish that is popular in the pet trade. Guppies were first imported to the United States as part of the aquarium trade in the early 1900s. They were thought to be a novelty fish, and were not initially well-loved. However, over time, guppies became more popular and are now considered one of the most popular aquarium fish.
The spread of guppies throughout North America
The Guppy is a small tropical fish that is native to South America. In the late 1600s, Europeans first discovered this fish in the River Amazone and named it after the Brazilian word for “small fish”.
The guppy quickly spread throughout North America, where it was coveted as a pet because of its colorful scales and quick movement. It was also used as a food source by early settlers.
The hobby guppy
Looking back in history shows that the first live Guppies ended up in Germany in December 1908.
A gentleman named Carl Siggelkow imported them to Hamburg Germany,
On arrival at the german docks, they spray various chemicals on guppies to prevent the spread of disease.
While doing this many of the guppies died off but some survived and were able to breed.
Why are guppies called million fish?
Guppies are well known for their reproductive qualities and breeding rates so, dubbed with the nickname Million fish.
You may also hear the guppy referred to as the Missionary fish, why do we call it a million fish?
The reason is it encourages many people to become guppy enthusiasts creating a hobby for them.
The first common strain amongst the guppy hobbyist was the swordtail.
The swordtail is found in the wild but the double swordtail is not and it is believed that this strain was developed in 1928.
The first veil tail guppy was the first show guppy to be shown in Germany in 1954.
It received a great deal of attention, From here the hobby of show guppies continued to grow.
Guppy Fish Discovery Timeline
- In 1969 discovery of livebearers
- In 1859 Dr. Wilgelm Karl hartvig peters a German ichthyologist described the very 1st guppy from a Venezuela fish collection.
- Dr. Peters called the fish Poecilia reticulata
- In 1861 Italian ichthyologist Dr. Philippi found these fish from the collection of fishes received from Barbados. he called them lebistes Poecilia
- In 1866 English School Superintendent Robert john Lechmere guppy sent a few fishes from st. anna river of Trinidad to British museum
- The Head of the British museum mistakenly considered my guppy as a pioneer of this fish and called Girardinus guppyi (guppy)
- 1908 German importer of fishes K Segelkov. received guppy to Europe
- 1909 Captain D. Wippan’s first breeding guppies were received in Europe.
- 1909 Guppies first time in Russia.
- 1911 Administration of British museum called guppy as lebistes reticulatus.
- 1963 ichthyologist D. rowan and R. beylli called guppy as Poecilia reticulata peters 1859
Some FAQ’S
Between 3700 and 45,000 darwins they are supposed to evolve
Yes, Guppies can change gender and not just males into females, even females can starts developing color and form a gonopodium.
Yes, they do recognize their owners and their surrounding and come near the tank wall when the owner approaches
Snakeskin class Guppies are among the rarest offspring. A solid blue-tailed fish carrying the snakeskin genetic trait, and a rosette pattern is the rarest fish.
They can be called Tuxedo Guppies, Their tails and dorsal fins are black in color similar to Half Black color morphs.
Guppies have gills like any other fish so they are not mammals. Unlike mammals which have 4 compartments in the heart, guppy fish have only 2 called auricle and ventricle.
1) Snakeskin with Solid Blue Tail and dorsal is the first rarest guppy
2) Yellow guppy having gold with gun metal head traits is the second rarest guppy
3) Galaxy Blue Glass guppy or the blue variegated cobra is the third rarest guppy
The purple Moscow guppy is the most expensive guppy fish in the world because of the rare strain it exhibits.
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