Phallichthys tico is a small freshwater fish from the Poeciliidae family. It inhabits tropical water bodies of Costa Rica and reproduces by live-bearing.
Phallichthys tico differs from closely related species by having a very long gonopodium in males. This fish is important for nature because it eats mosquito larvae and serves as food for other animals.
Collects food from the water surface, in the water column, and on the bottom.
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Tropical moist forest
Worker
Elders
Bro
birth time
lakes and ponds
freshwater marsh and wetlands
bottom
Taxons
if born as {name}
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
omnivore
g
age
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Yolk sac count
Human
birth date
swimming
no permanent shelter
Close
water column
very hot and very humid all year round, rain almost every day
detritus, eat dead remains of plants, animals and all kinds of organic debris on the bottom
Gonopodium color
was
days
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Neotropical realm
crustaceans
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
My weight?
small planktonic crustaceans — copepods, krill
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
surface
adult
Maturity
organic debris
primary food sources
Neotropical realm
South and Central America, hot and humid, huge forests
Potential Habitat
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
d
In husbandry
Feeds while suspended in open water between surface and bottom.
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Repro interval
results
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Body size
aquatic
Colors
Sex
{name} birthday
Upcoming jubilees
streams
Gremllins
mo
No results found
all seas and oceans
Trophic type
Filters
On the map
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
always hot and humid, huge trees and vines
Upcoming birthdays
standing fresh waters — lakes, ponds, oxbow lakes
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
up to ~3 grams, up to 3 centimeters
birth year
Maturity
Age (from birth to death)
sq mm
yr
Foraging occurs on the floor of aquatic or terrestrial habitats.
Wanderers
Food items are collected from exposed outer surfaces of substrates.
How similar?
algae
Gonopodium size
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
Male ♂
until the celebration
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Neither
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
from birth to adulthood
Lifespan average
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
Marine world
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
Freshwater
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
swampy freshwater biotopes — peat bogs, marshes, river mangroves
small insects
Duration
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
Always hot and wet
This is me
freshwater
Gamers
aquatic plants and algae
Pets
How are they built?
all rivers and lakes
Primary oral structure used to seize, manipulate, or ingest food.
small insects without further specification
Indomalayan realm
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
{name} jubilee
Dorsal fin color
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Southeast Asia and islands, always hot and humid
mouth
turns
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Rascals
Where do they take shelter?
celebrated their {n} birthday
Dorsal fin count
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Litter size
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
ponds
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
foraging
°C
Not specified
Sand grain
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Gonopodium count
Where are they found?
Species lacks any fixed or lasting shelter structure.
embryo
all rivers and lakes
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap