mosquitofish

Gambusia affinis

Five Point One Centimeters Poeciliid Fish of North American Waters

Tropical
Globally widespread
Central America and the Caribbean
North America
Fusiform
Small
Tropical fish

The western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, Gambusia, or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is also referred to by these names. Mosquitofish are small in comparison to many other freshwater fish, with females reaching a maximum length of 7 cm (2.8 in) and males a maximum length of 4 cm (1.6 in).

Class: Teleosts
Order: Killifishes and Livebearers
Family: Poeciliidae
Genus: Gambusia
Maximum length: 5.1 cm
Body shape: fusiform
Distribution: North and Central America: Mississippi River basin from central Indiana and Illinois in USA south to Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Slope drainages west to Mexico. One of the species with the widest range of introductions which acquired for itself a near pan-global distribution (Ref. 1739 ). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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