Native Populations of Endler’s Livebearers have a tremendous amount of variation in coloration.
AdrianHD (Adrian Hernandez) has spent years preserving native types of Endler’s Livebearers and has separated and organized them. These native types were then line bred to help preserve the many wild color variations and introduce them into the hobby.
AdrianHD has also developed many hybrid strains and several non-wild color variations however his main goal is to preserve the true wild forms and strains for future generations.
Some of the stains developed by AdrianHD from wild collected specimens are:
Original Type Black Bar – Poecilia wingei
One of the first strains introduced to hobbyists, this variety of Endler’s Livebearer is one of most popular.
It contains a Black bar on both sides of the body, a blue patch under the dorsal fin and a sward and a half in the caudal fin. The body is short and stocky.
Black Bar Endler’s were collected from Laguna de los Patos North Lake and Laguna de los Patos South lake in 1997, 1998 and 2004 by Armando Pou. This was the type of Ender that was collected by John Endler in 1975.
Original Peacock Endler
Also known as the 1997 Common / Regular Peacock Endler, this variety has an orange stripe on the side and a dot on the tail resembling that of a peacock. The orange stripe on the side can be solid or broken. The body of this type of Endler is long and slim.
This native type of Endler was collected from Laguna de los Patos North Lake and Laguna la Malaguena in 1997, 1998 and 2004 by Armando Pou.
Original Red Chest Endler
This strain is also known as 1997 Red Chest and 1997 Orange Endler. It has a round monocle on top of the pectoral fins. Sometimes the monocle is very large and will bleed into the pectoral fins making them black paddle fins. Only a few of the males have black pectoral fins. The body of the Red Chest Endler is short and stocky.
This native type of Endler’s Livebearer was collected from Laguna la Malaguena and the hyacinth stream leaving Laguna de los Patos in 1997, 1998 and 2004 by Armando Pou.
Original Double Red Stripe Endler
The Original Double Red Stripe Endler is also known as the 1997 Double Red Stripe Endler. This strain is similar to the Original Red Chest Endler but having two stripes. The length of the stripes may vary as well as the space between the stripes.
This native type was collected from the same location as the Original Red Chest Endler.
Original Flame Tail Endler
The original Flame Tail Endler has orange coloring on the tail resembling a flame along with a yellow top sword. There are two main body colors with one more orange coloration and one with more mint green coloration. The body of the Flame Tail Endler is short and stocky.
This native Endler was collected from Laguna de los Patos South Lake and Laguna la Malaguena in 1997, 1998 and 2004 by Armando Pou.
Original Center Peacock Endler
The Original Center Peacock Endler has a dot on the center base of the tail. There is a black stripe that usually connects to the peacock dot. The Original Center Peacock is usually orange and black. This is a small fish and can be short or slender.
The native type was collected from Laguna la Malaguena and the Black Endler Pond in 1997, 1998 and 2004 by Armando Pou.
Original Snake Chest Endler
This interesting looking strain has a snake pattern on the chest and a round monocle on top of the pectoral fin. This type is short and stocky.
The Original Snake Chest Endler type was collected from Laguna La Malaguena, hyacinth stream leaving Laguna de los Patos North Lake and Laguna de los Patos in 1997, 1998 and 2004 by Armando Pou.
Lime Green Endlers
The metallic green coloration found in wild Endler’s is what first caught John Endler’s attention when he saw this species. It is likely that John Endler would have not collected the Endler if it were not for the flashy green coloration.
The Lime Green Endler was line bred by AdrianHD to show off this amazing green coloration. As a result, the Lime Green Endler is fast becoming a favorite among Endler keepers.
This population of Endler has a metallic green stripe of various lengths on the side of the body. They may also have a black bar monocle with two red swords with the top sword usually being very short. The Lime Green Endler has a white dorsal fin.
The wild stock from which this type was developed was collected in 2006 from a secret location in the Cumana Area.
Besides the more prevalent green coloration, the colors on the Lime Green Endler is more pastel than those of the Orchid Endler giving it a distinct look all it’s own.
Our original Class N Lime Green Endlers came directly from AdrianHD.
Orchid Endlers Livebearers
Orchid Endler’s Livebearers have many different black markings, tail patterns and sword lengths. The colors differ in appearance from one fish to another with assorted metallic body colors. The sword length may vary from only coloration that resembles a small sword in appearance to a very long sword extending well past the caudal fin.
The Orchid Endler has lots of black that helps to show off the other colors of this beautiful live-bearer.
The Orchid Endler strain was line bred and developed by AdrianHD ad was collected from the wild in 2006 from an undisclosed location in the Cumana Region.
The unique and varying patterns as well as the dark black that set of the amazing colors made the Orchid Endler our first choice when we decided to raise Endlers Livebearers.
Our Orchid Endlers Livebearers Come From AdrianHD
We purchased several pairs from AdrianHD to give us good genetics and reduce the amount of inbreeding. They are documented N Class Endler’s Livebearers that have never been exposed to any other kind of livebearer.
The colors on Orchid Endler’s are quite striking. There is quite a bit of dark black on the body of the fish. This dark black color really helps to show off the orange and green colors.
The orange is very intense and is almost a “hunter” orange in color. The green is a metallic green that is quite showy. There is also a small amount of baby blue on the caudal fin or body of many of the fish. In most cases the blue coloration is on the end of the sword however some of them have it near the black spot on the caudal fin.
Dr. Endler said that the fish developed the intense metallic green due to the dark green algae ponds which they live in. These bright flashy colors help the males attract a mate in the dark green water.
The Endler’s seem to always be hungry pecking at the rocks and plants in my tank. From time to time one of the fish will make a quick dash to the top of the tank and dart back down.
When the male Endler’s aren’t looking for something to eat they spend their time courting the female Endler’s. The males are very good at swimming backwards as they court the females.