Green swordtail
Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel, 1848
The green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii), also called the swordtail, is a bony fish in the family Poeciliidae and subfamily Poeciliinae. It belongs to the genus Xiphophorus in the order Cyprinodontiformes and class Teleostei, and was named by Heckel, 1848.
Quick facts about the green swordtail
The IUCN Red List assesses the green swordtail globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the green swordtail
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the green swordtail live?
Not recorded
What is the green swordtail?
The green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii) is a species of freshwater/brackish fish in family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. A live-bearer, it is closely related to the southern platyfish or 'platy' (X. maculatus) and can crossbreed with it. It is native to an area of North and Central America stretching from Veracruz, Mexico, to northwestern Honduras.
From the Wikipedia article “Green swordtail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_swordtail&oldid=1354740152), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the green swordtail endangered?
The green swordtail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the green swordtail classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCyprinodontiformes
- familyPoeciliidae
- genusXiphophorus
- SpeciesXiphophorus hellerii Heckel, 1848
Synonyms Mollienisia helleri, Poecilia helleri, Xiphophorus brevis, Xiphophorus guentheri, Xiphophorus guntheri, Xiphophorus helleri, Xiphophorus helleri brevis, Xiphophorus helleri helleri, Xiphophorus helleri strigatus, Xiphophorus hellerii guentheri, Xiphophorus jalapae, Xiphophorus rachovii, Xiphophorus strigatus, Xiphorus helleri
Other names and names in other languages (27)
- SwordtailEnglish
- SwordtailEnglish
- SwaarddraerAfrikaans
- SwaardstertAfrikaans
- سمكة الذيل السيفيArabic
- SværddragerDanish
- SchwertträgerGerman
- SableSpanish
- cola de espadaSpanish
- Cola de galloSpanish
- Xifo espadaSpanish
- XiphoFrench
- Porte-épéeFrench
- mexikói kardfarkú halHungarian
- Ekor PedangIndonesian
- ツルギメダカJapanese
- グリーンソードテールJapanese
- mieczyk HelleraPolish
- Зелёный меченосецRussian
- mečovka zelenáSlovak
- zeleni mečekSlovenian
- ปลาสอดหางดาบThai
- Kılıç KuyrukTurkish
- Мечоносець зеленийUkrainian
- 茉莉Chinese
- 劍尾魚Chinese
- 紅劍魚Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the green swordtail
Other species in the same genus Xiphophorus.
Platy
Xiphophorus maculatus
Variatus platy
Xiphophorus variatus
Sheepshead swordtail
Xiphophorus birchmanni
Platy Monterrey
Xiphophorus couchianus
Mexican swordfish
Xiphophorus montezumae
Marbled swordtail
Xiphophorus meyeri
CompareGreen swordtail vs PlatyGreen swordtail vs Variatus platyGreen swordtail vs Sheepshead swordtailGreen swordtail vs Platy Monterrey
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the green swordtail?
The green swordtail is a bony fish in the family Poeciliidae, order Cyprinodontiformes.
What is the scientific name of the green swordtail?
The scientific name of the green swordtail is Xiphophorus hellerii, placing it in the genus Xiphophorus.
Who named the green swordtail?
The green swordtail was named by Heckel, 1848.
Is the green swordtail endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses the green swordtail globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
What other names does the green swordtail have?
The green swordtail is also called the swordtail in English.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-swordtail
“Green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-swordtail.
@misc{green_swordtail_2026,
title = {Green swordtail (Xiphophorus hellerii)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/green-swordtail},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}