Poeciliidae

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).