Bumblebee Platy Platy
Xiphophorus maculatus
About this strain
Yellow and black banding or mottling that runs across the body and into the fins, producing the namesake bee-like pattern. The degree of striping versus blotching varies between individuals and lines — some fish show relatively clean lateral bands while others are more irregular. Fully saturated yellow against deep black makes this one of the more graphically bold platy varieties. It can be somewhat variable in pattern because it often results from crosses between multiple strains; select from batches where the pattern is most defined if consistency matters to you. Males show the pattern most crisply.
Origin
Developed in commercial Asian fish farms through selective crossing of yellow and black-patterned Xiphophorus maculatus strains. The variety emerged as a recognized trade name in the late 20th to early 21st century; specific originator unknown.