The western mosquitofish 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. Its sister species, the eastern mosquitofish,, is also referred to by these names.
Gambusia is a large genus of viviparous fish in the family Poeciliidae. 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 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. As a consequence, they have been introduced widely outside their native range, and frequently become invasive, threatening local species. They are only occasionally kept in aquariums, due to their relative lack of color and the highly aggressive nature of the aforementioned mosquitofish species.
The widemouth gambusia is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically to the Baños del Azufre near Teapa, Tabasco. The Baños del Azufre are sulfidic springs that contain high concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide. This prevents most animals from living in them; the only other fish found in the toxic sections of Baños del Azufre is the sulphur molly.
The Amistad gambusia is an extinct species of small fish known only from a single locality, the large vegetated Goodenough Spring in Val Verde County, Texas. It apparently was driven to extinction in the wild when its habitat was submerged to a depth of about 70 feet by the construction of the Amistad Reservoir in 1968. The two captive populations, at the University of Texas System and the Dexter National Fish Hatchery in New Mexico, later failed through hybridization with the related mosquitofish and predation. The species has been classified as extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service since 1987, and by the IUCN since 2013.
The eastern mosquitofish is a species of freshwater fish, closely related to the western mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. The eastern mosquitofish is native to the eastern and southern United States from Florida to Pennsylvania and inland to Alabama and Tennessee, while the western mosquitofish has a larger distribution throughout the United States.
An IUCN Red List Critically Endangered (CR) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of 2021, there are 6,811 species that are considered to be Critically Endangered. This is out of the 120,372 species currently tracked by the IUCN.
The San Marcos gambusia is an extinct species of gambusia from the family Poeciliidae that was found only in the San Marcos Springs of Central Texas. The fish has not been seen since 1983. The specific name of this fish honors the American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985).
Villa's gray shrew is a shrew native to northeastern Mexico, where it is called musaraña.
The Big Bend gambusia is a rare species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande of the United States and Mexico. The only known remaining population is in a protected pond in the Big Bend National Park.
The Clear Creek gambusia is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae endemic to the United States, particularly Menard County, Texas.
Gambusia senilis, the blotched gambusia, is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae found in Mexico, where it is called guayacon pinto, and formerly in the Devil's River in the Rio Grande basin in Texas. The Texas population was extirpated following the construction of the Amistad Dam.
The Popondetta blue-eye or Popondetta rainbowfish, is a species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea where it occurs at three localities around Popondetta in the east of the country. This species inhabits clear, fast flowing freshwater streams, although it has been reported from brackish water. This species was described in 1981 as Popondetta connieae by Gerald R. Allen from a typelocality of Auga Creek, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Popondetta where Allen collected the 200 types along with Brian Parkinson. Allen gave it the specific name connieae to honour his wife, Connie, who normally prepared Allen's manuscripts for publication. This species is sought-after in the aquarium trade and is available in the European and Australian markets.
The honey blue-eye is an endangered species of fish in the subfamily Pseudomugilinae. It is endemic to southeastern Queensland, Australia, where it is found in mildly acidic, often tannin-stained, ponds and streams in wallum habitat.
The eastern mosquitofish was introduced to Australia in 1925, and has since spread from the northeast coasts to New South Wales, southern Australia, and parts of Western Australia by 1934. Currently, known populations of wild mosquitofish occur in every state and territory except the Northern Territory, and are found in swamps, lakes, billabongs, thermal springs, salt lakes, and ornamental ponds. Mosquitofish are considered a noxious pest, especially in New South Wales and Queensland, and it is illegal to release them into the wild or transport them live into any of the states or territories. Mosquitofish were introduced by military and local councils to control mosquito populations, however there has been no evidence that Gambusia has had any effect in controlling mosquito populations or mosquito-borne diseases. In fact, studies have shown that Gambusia can suffer mortalities if fed only on mosquito larvae, and survivors show poor growth and maturation. Gambusia typically eat zooplankton, beetles, mayflies, caddis flies, mites and other invertebrates; mosquito larvae make up only a small portion of their diet. Gambusia are eaten by juvenile cod.
Fundulus zebrinus is a species of fish in the Fundulidae known by the common name plains killifish. It is native to North America, where it is distributed throughout the Mississippi River, Colorado River, and Rio Grande drainages, and other river systems; many of its occurrences represent introduced populations.
Hipposideros rotalis, the Laotian leaf-nosed bat or Laotian roundleaf bat, is a species of bat from the family Rhinolophidae which is thought to be endemic to Laos. Only a small number of individuals have been recorded, however the population size is thought to be large as it has been found to cover a range of more than 20,000 km2.
The Hispaniolan gambusia is a fish endemic to the island of Hispaniola.
The Marathon minnow is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows. It is endemic to Greece.
Poecilia elegans, the elegant molly, is a species of freshwater fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to the Dominican Republic.
