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 squirrel tree frog is a small species of tree frog found in the south-eastern United States, from Texas to Virginia. This is an introduced species in the Bahamas.
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.
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).
The yellowfin gambusia is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to the Rio Conchos of Chihuahua, Mexico, where it is known as guayacon de san gregorio. This species was described in 1957 by Clark Hubbs and Victor G. Springer with the type locality given as El Ojo de San Gregorio in Chihuahua. The specific name of this fish honours the Mexican ichthyologist José Alvarez del Villar (1903-1986) for his work on the fishes of Mexico and for his assistance to Clark and Springer.
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 hurtadoi, also known as crescent gambusia, is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to Chihuahua in Mexico, where it is known as guayacon de Hacienda Dolores. It grows to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) total length. The species was described in 1957 by Carl Leavitt Hubbs and Victor G. Springer with the type locality given as El Ojo de la Hacienda Dolores, 7 miles south of Jiminez, Chihuahua, the spring to which this species is endemic. Hubbs and Springer honoured the Mexican Leopoldo Hurtado Olin of the Departamento de Economía in Chihuahua for his assistance during their collecting expedition to Chihuahua in June 1951. Hurtado Olin also informed Hubbs and Springer of the location of El Ojo de la Hacienda Dolores.
Gambusia krumholzi is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae endemic to Mexico.
Gambusia longispinis, the Cuatrociengas gambusia, is an endangered species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to Cuatro Ciénegas in Mexico.
The Pecos gambusia is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae endemic to the Pecos River in Texas and New Mexico in the United States. This two-inch species, as most of its family, is a livebearer. Females produce broods of up to 40 fry every four to five days. The fish are omnivorous, eating algae and small invertebrates, and are endangered due to loss of their spring-fed desert habitat.
Gambusia speciosa, the Tex-Mex gambusia, is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae which is found in the United States and Mexico. In Mexico its range covers the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas while in the United States it is found in New Mexico and Texas. In Texas it is restricted to the Devils River and its tributaries in Val Verde County. The habitat of the Tex-Mex gambusia includes springs, outflow channels, marshes and the margins of small to medium-sized streams. This species was described by Charles Frédéric Girard in 1859 with the type locality given as the Río San Diego, near Cadereita in Nuevo León.
Pantanodon madagascariensis is an extinct species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It was endemic to eastern Madagascar. Its natural habitats were rivers and swamps. It became extinct due to habitat loss and competition from introduced species of Gambusia.
The sulphur molly, locally known as molly del Teapa, is a critically endangered species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. 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. Poecilia sulphuraria has apparently evolved the ability to tolerate the toxic conditions. A few other Poecilia species are known from similar habitats in Mexico.
The graceful priapella, also known by its original Spanish name guayacon ojiazul, is a species of freshwater fish within the family Poeciliidae. It is considered to be data deficient. It is endemic to a small part of central Veracruz in Mexico. It has not been recorded recently and is thought most likely to be extinct, however, the IUCN states that there is an outside chance that the species clings on in a hereto unsurveyed part of its known range and so list it as Data Deficient. The American ichthyologist Seth Eugene Meek described this fish as Gambusia bonita in 1904 with the type locality given as Río Tonto at Refugio, Veracruz, Mexico. It is the type species of the genus Priapella.
Gambusia dominicensis, known as the Dominican gambusia, domingo gambusia, or domingo mosquito fish, is a species of freshwater fish native to the lake of Etang Saumatre on Hispaniola, in eastern Haiti and the western Dominican Republic. A 2020 update to the IUCN Red List removed the Dominican Republic from the extent of occurrence description; the range map continues to include both countries. The authors noted, "Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and Area of Occupancy (AOO) cannot be determined with accuracy, as the species has not been collected since 1913 and georeferenced records associated with the type locality are lacking".
The Mangrove gambusia is a tropical poeciliid fish species with a restricted, disjunct range one in northwestern Cuba, the other in southeastern Florida. The Florida population has been recently listed as "biologically vulnerable" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
