If any platy color shows popularity with more "advanced" breeders, it's the bleeding-heart platy. However, until now mislabeling has proliferated which has resulted in unnecessary confusion with new hobbyists. I'm going to attempt to clear things up with this article.
The action of two different genes characterizes this trio of colors, the "Ruby Throat" gene (Rt), and the "Red Vertical Stripes" gene (STr). Bleeding-hearts were originally developed by the Xiphophorus legend Dr. Myron Gordon, which probably accounts at least partially for it's popularity among "Advanced" breeders. As legend (and source) has it, after Dr. Gordon visited the New York Zoological Society's bird house he saw what he thought was a bleeding pigeon. In fact, this "blood spot" was a part of the bird's color pattern!
The action of two different genes characterizes this trio of colors, the "Ruby Throat" gene (Rt), and the "Red Vertical Stripes" gene (STr). Bleeding-hearts were originally developed by the Xiphophorus legend Dr. Myron Gordon, which probably accounts at least partially for it's popularity among "Advanced" breeders. As legend (and source) has it, after Dr. Gordon visited the New York Zoological Society's bird house he saw what he thought was a bleeding pigeon. In fact, this "blood spot" was a part of the bird's color pattern!
Impressed by the color pattern, he went out to design a bleeding-heart platy. It began with male "ruby throat platys" being crossed to female "ghost" (colorless) platys, to produce the first "true" bleeding-heart platys. These fish also displayed the Red Vertical Stripes gene. More recently, the "Red Vertical Stripe" gene was isolated from the "ruby throat" gene, which resulted in "tiger platys" (incorrectly called bleeding-hearts).
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Regardless, nowadays we have 3 different patterns called "bleeding heart". The original, with both Rt and STr, the "stripe-less" variety with only Rt, and "Tiger" platys with only STr, which are often confused with true bleeding-hearts. One should note that even in the strains where STr is present, STr appears very faint on females.
On the original bleeding -heart strain, only males displayed the red bleeding heart pattern. This is because Ruby Throat is a Y-linked gene, and the original strain was XX/XY. However, it is possible to create a female with the bleeding heart pattern by creating a WY/YY strain.
Over time, the varieties had probably been re-created. If you observe the male above, he is absent of the STr pattern. It is possible the fish had been been selectively bred for the Rt pattern to cover up STr, or the fish may be absent of the STr pattern entirely.
Incorrectly called a bleeding-heart, the tiger platy is created when the “ruby throat” gene is removed from a “modern” bleeding-heart platy. If you look closely at the fish above, you can observe the comet pattern. Curious, as wag is prominent in almost all bleeding-hearts nowadays.