Gambusia affinis diet
The body has a characteristic diamond or net pattern on the body formed by dark pigment at the scale margins. Small black dots are also usually present on the body and tail. Mosquitofish feed on mosquito larvae at all stages of life. 94816). Mosquitofish in Australia are classified as a noxious pest and may have exacerbated the mosquito problem in many areas by outcompeting native invertebrate predators of mosquito larvae. The western mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ) is a species of freshwater fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, Gambusia, or by the common name gambezi. Found frequently in brackish water (Ref. Hardy to a variety of temperatures, salinities and oxygen levels, mosquitofish have spread through many parts of the world in introductions attempting to reduce mosquito populations. Not to be confused with eastern mosquitofish or Heterandria formosa. The anal fins on adult females resemble the dorsal fins, while the anal fins of adult males are pointed. Adult female mosquitofish can be identified by a gravid spot they possess on the posterior of their abdomens. This pointed fin, referred to as a gonopodium, is used to deposit milt inside the female. 5258). Mosquitofish were introduced directly into ecosystems in many parts of the world as a biocontrol to lower mosquito populations which in turn negatively affected many other species in each distinct bioregion. The relatively large head is flattened on the upper surface, and the small mouth is superior (upturned) and protrusible.
Dorsal and caudal fins are rounded and no lateral line is visible (IGGS 2006). 6351). A small dark bar below the eye also aids in identification and a black peritoneum (abdominal cavity lining) can often be observed through the belly in living specimens. Articles on this page are available in 2 other languages. The mosquitofish ( Gambusia affinis ) is a species of freshwater fish in the family Poeciliidae, native to the Mississippi River (USA) and its tributary waters from southern Indiana and Illinois to the Gulf Coast and parts of northeastern Mexico. Used as live food for carnivorous aquarium fishes. However, from the 1920s to the 1950s, mosquitofish were a major factor in eradicating malaria in South America, southern Russia, and Ukraine. Feed on zooplankton, small insects and detritus (Ref. The mosquitofish is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. 5258, 10294). Reproduction of the mosquitofish starts with the male arranging the rays of the gonopodium (modified anal fin) into a slight tube. The mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, is a small, robust-bellied fish. The body is usually greenish olive to brown above, grey-blue on the sides, and silvery-white below. This voracious, aggressive predator has extirpated and eliminated many native species, is extremely hard to eradicate, and is now a pest in fresh and brackish waters around the world. Effective in mosquito control and widely introduced, but found to compete with indigenous fish and to upset the ecological balance (Ref. Pelagic and surface predatory fish (Ref.
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