Swordtail male with no sword? Platy?

So I went to the pet shop today and got 4 swordtails. I asked for 1 male and 3 females. They are all adult sized. I assumed that all male adult swordtails had a sword tail, is that correct?

So I got my new fish home and had a closer look at them... One of the fish that does not have a sword and so I had assumed was a female actually has a gonopodium. Is my fish a male swordtail? A female swordtail? A male platy? It is adult sized, has a gonopodium but no sword tail but was sold to me as a swordtail.

Thank you for any answers!

 

Can you post a photo?

 

I'm not able to post a photo at the moment sorry.

 

I tried to take a photo but it's too dark. Do male swordtails always have a sword tail?

 

It's probably just a young male that hasn't grown it yet. I believe they grow as they get older, so you've probably just have a young male sword.

 

But it's the same size if not slighter bigger than the male that has a large sword tail

 

I'd need to see a picture then(now you can't get one right now), where there platies at the store?

 

I'm pretty sure there were platties in another tank

 

Male swords mature at different rates. Early males can show as soon as 3 months, while some males don't develop until 10 or even 12 months. They can change at any time in that period. The one that has a swordtail probably was an early male, the one that only has a gonopodium could well be a later male, and the swordtail is the last thing to develop.

There is also the possibility that it is a Variatus, which some folks call a Variatus Platy. They have a more elongate body than the common Platy, X. maculatus. It can be possible for inexperienced hobbyists to confuse these fish with Swords.