47. Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) ―Platy, Southern Platyfish― Exotic Taxonomy. Original description: Platypoecilus maculatus Günther, 1866:350 [Mexico (Central America); Syntypes: BMNH 1857.7.31.11-12 (2)]. Synonyms: Platypoecilus nigra Brind, 1914; Platypoecilus maculatus var. nigra Gerlach, 1912; Platypoecilus maculatus var. pulchra Schreitmüller, 1910; Platypoecilus rubra Stansch, 1914. Status in the Arabian Peninsula. First record from Saudi Arabia by Al-Kahem-Al-Balawi et al. (2008); confirmed by Freyhof et al. (2020). General distribution. Southern North America and central America: Atlantic slope of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala; introduced widely elsewhere. Habitat: freshwater. Distribution in the Arabian Peninsula. Saudi Arabia: Wadi Hanifah near Riyadh; Al- Kharj and Layla Lake south of Riyadh; Al-Ahsa Oasis in eastern province. Economic importance. Valuable for the aquarium trade. Reasons of introduction. Ornamental fish industry. Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).

Published as part of Esmaeili, Hamid Reza & Hamidan, Neshat, 2023, Inland fishes of the Arabian Peninsula: Review and a revised checklist, pp. 201-226 in Zootaxa 5330 (2) on page 219, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5330.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/8249316