Gambusia is a large genus of
viviparousfish in the family
Poeciliidae (order
Cyprinodontiformes). Gambusia contains over 40 species, most of which are principally found in freshwater habitats, though some species may also be found in
brackish or saltwater habitats. The genus Gambusia comes from the Cuban term, "Gambusino", which means "free-lance miner".[3] The
type species is the
Cuban gambusia, G. punctata. The greatest
species richness is in Mexico,
Texas, and the
Greater Antilles, but species are also found elsewhere in the eastern and southern
United States, the
Bahamas, Central America, and
Colombia. Gambusia species are often called topminnows, or simply gambusias; they are also known as mosquitofish, which, however, refers more specifically to two species, G. affinis and G. holbrooki, which are often introduced into ponds to eat
mosquito larvae.[4][5] As a consequence, they have been introduced widely outside their native range, and frequently become
invasive, threatening local species.[6]G. affinis and G. holbrooki are now established in many parts of the world and are likely to continue to spread as climatic conditions change.[7] They are only occasionally kept in aquariums, due to their relative lack of color and the highly aggressive nature of the aforementioned mosquitofish species.
^Wallus, Robert (1990).
Reproductive biology and early life history of fishes in the Ohio River drainage. Bruce L. Yeager, Thomas P. Simon, Tennessee Valley Authority. Aquatic Biology Department, Tennessee Valley Authority. Office of Power, United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Nashville District, American Electric Power Service Corporation. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Tennessee Valley Authority, Aquatic Biology Dept., Water Resources.
ISBN0-8493-1919-6.
OCLC23153067.
^
abLangerhans, R. B., Gifford, M. E., Domínguez-Domínguez, O., García-Bedoya, D. & DeWitt, T.J. (2012). "Gambusia quadruncus (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae): a new species of mosquitofish from east-central México". Journal of Fish Biology. 81 (5): 1514–1539.
doi:
10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03397.x.
PMID23020559.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)