Gambusia affinis (Baird & Girard, 1853)

Mosquitofish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Cyprinodontiformes \| Poeciliidae \| Poeciliinae
Synonyms	Heterandria affinis, Gambusia affinis affinis, Gambusia gracilis, ... more
Common names	Mosquito-fish, Western mosquitofish, Mosquito fish, ... more

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Image of Gambusia affinis (Mosquitofish)

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Main reference

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr. 1991. (Ref. 5723)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 4.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 30578); 7 cm TL (female); common length : 3.9 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. reported age: 3 years (Ref. 796)

Environment

Benthopelagic; potamodromous; freshwater; brackish; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19

Climate / Range

Subtropical; 12°C - 29°C (Ref. 52055); 42°N - 26°N

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.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7 - 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10. Origin of dorsal fin opposite 7th anal ray. Length of anal base much less than half distance from caudal. 8 horizontal scale rows between back and abdomen. Ventrals terminate immediately before anal fin. Pelvic fins reach ventrals.

Most abundant in lower reaches of streams (Ref. 44091). Inhabits standing to slow-flowing water; most common in vegetated ponds and lakes, backwaters and quiet pools of streams. Frequents brackish water (Ref. 5258). Feeds on zooplankton, small insects and detritus (Ref. 5258, 10294). Used as live food for carnivorous aquarium fishes. Viviparous (Ref. 5258, 30578). Effective in mosquito control and widely introduced, but found to compete with indigenous fish and to upset the ecological balance (Ref. 6351).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Potential pest

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Identification keys \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| LifeMapper \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=1.20; tmax=3; Fec=10-60)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Froese, Rainer

Modified by Ortañez, Auda Kareen

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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