Thank you, Melissa! That exactly answers my question and is a
conclusion completely consistent with my observations. I don't why,
but the business was causing me disproportionate anxiety--perhaps
because it was messing with my careful breeding plans. I really
wanted that Pineapple to be female, or failing that, to clearly be
some sex so I would know how to proceed.
So now I know, off he goes, back to the mixed swordtail tank, unless I
want all my female swordtail breeding stock impregnated by him...
which is not a farfetched choice. Because the pineapples are no
longer available locally, one of my goals is to establish reliable
breeding stock of that variety in my tanks.
So this pineapple swordtail must be one of the late maturing large
bodied males. Hmmm. I started with slim bodied males (1 green, 2
pineapple). But most of my males now are of the thick bodied
variety.
Do you know if the male body type is genetic or do environmental
factors play a part? A couple of my green swords matured as the slim
body type, but in the ones which appear to be green/pineapple crosses,
most (all?) of the males are large bodied.
Thank you again. It's nice to get a clear non-ambiguous answer. So
often, there are so many variables involved in this hobby that the
answers are much less clear cut.
Jeff Walther