The sexes of Girardinus metallicus are metallic fish. Some have vertical striping on the sides and silver to gold hues depending on illumination.
Both have silver bodies with black midline bands. Men and women have black spots at the base of their dorsal fins.
In addition to being sparkly, transparent, and honey-yellow, the male has a purple-flecked sailfin.
Females are greenish-gray with neon-blue scales on the bottom half of their bodies, while males are smaller and have black and sulfur-yellow spots on their heads, sides, and fins.
In Exotic Aquarium Fishes, Innes includes the liberty molly, but most writers have since classified it as a variation of Poecilia sphenops, the common molly.
Innes included the wrestling halfbeak to his livebearer section, and most aquarium writers have followed suit.
Few fish are as fin-nippery as this one. In addition to slow-moving, long-finned animals, it will eat Corydoras catfish!