ABSTRACT
Xiphophorus are small, live-bearing, new world, freshwater fish found in freshwater habitats from northern Mexico into Guatemala and Honduras. The value of Xiphophorus in research stems from the extreme phenotypic variability found among the 26 known species and the ability to derive fertile progeny from interspecies crosses. Xiphophorus was the first model to show cancer was a heritable disease and is a valuable experimental model for studies of melanoma. The Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center (XGSC) was established in 1939 and continues today maintaining and distributing Xiphophorus species and strains for distribution to the scientific community. The XGSC is currently housed at Texas State University within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The XGSC maintains 24 of the 26 known species of Xiphophorus and 54 pedigreed genetic lines, and provides other resources to assist scientists using these animals. The XGSC also hosts all versions of Xiphophorus genome assemblies.
