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Species Name: 
Gambusia affinis Baird and Girard, 1853

Common Name(s):
Mosquitofish, Western Mosquitofish

Synonymy:
Gambusia affinis affinis Baird and Girard, 1853
Gambusia holbrooki Girard, 1859
Gambusia patruelis Baird and Girard, 1854

The eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is closely related to G. affinis, and has previously been classified as subspecies G. affinis. Some authorities (e.g., ITIS) still consider G. affinis and G. holbrooki to be subspecies of the same organism.

Species Description:
The mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis , is a small, robust-bellied fish. The relatively large head is flattened on the upper surface, and the small mouth is superior (upturned) and protrusible. The eyes are large relative to the body. Dorsal and caudal fins are rounded and no lateral line is visible (IGGS 2006).

The body is usually greenish olive to brown above, grey-blue on the sides, and silvery-white below. 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. 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. Melanistic (black or nearly black) individuals are common in some populations. The dorsal fin is single and has only soft rays. Individuals typically have 7-9 soft dorsal rays, 8-10 anal fins, and 29-32 lateral line scales (Hoese and Moore 1977, Robins et al 1986, IGGS 2006).

The species is sexually dimorphic, with adult males being considerably smaller than females and also possessing a gonopodium-an elongated anal fin that functions as an intromittent organ for sperm transfer during mating. Mature females have a distinct gravid spot located on the posterior abdomen above the rear of the anal fin (Hoese and Moore 1977, GLAVCD undated).

Potentially Misidentified Species:
As previously noted, Gambusia affinis and Gambusia holbrooki are sufficiently similar in appearance and behavior to cause considerable taxonomic difficulties, and these may or may not be distinct species. In south Florida, Gambusia affinis co-occurs with the congeneric mangrove gambusia, G. rhizophorae. The latter species is not known from as far north as the IRL however (Ray et al. 1986).

The characteristic net-like scale pattern and the poster origin of the dorsal fin relative to the anal fin are typically sufficient to distinguish Gambusia from the co-occurring poeciliid, the sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna (Hoese and Moore 1977).

Poeciliid fishes can generally be differentiated from the potentially similar looking cyprinodontids (the killifishes) by the presence of either a gravid spot (mature females) or an intromittent organ (occurring on mature males) on the former.

II.  HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION 

Regional Occurrence:
Gambusia affinis is native to fresh/low-salinity waters of the eastern and southeastern US and Gulf of Mexico, from New Jersey to central Mexico (Hoese and Moore 1977). They may be found in fresh water as far inland as Illinois (Ray et al. 1986).

Mosquitofish now also occur throughout much of the world as a result of intentional and non-intentional introductions beginning approximately 100 years ago. Intentional introductions have largely been for purposes of mosquito control, although G. affinis is not considered to be any more effective against mosquitoes than most native mosquito-eating species (ISSG 2006).

IRL Distribution:
Gambusia affinis is a common inhabitant of lower salinity portions of the lagoon and associated upland freshwater systems. Salt marshes, mosquito impoundments, and mesohaline seagrass beds are among the habitats utilized by this species.

III. LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY

Age, Size, Lifespan:
Female mosquitofish reach a maximum total length of around 6-7 cm while males may reach around 4 cm (FishBase 2004, GLAVCD undated), although most individuals are somewhat smaller.

The maximum age reported for the species is 3 years (FishBase 2004).

Abundance:
While population densities in some portions of the IRL may be limited by salinity, Minckley et al. (1991) suggest that Gambusia affinis may be "possibly the single most abundant freshwater fish in the world".

Reproduction:
accomplished through the use of the male gonopodium. An early description of mating behavior is that of Collier (1936). The male faces forward and swings the gonopodium forward, initiating brief contact between the gonopodial tip and the oviductal opening and transferring sperm to the female.

Viable sperm can be stored by females for several months, and the stored sperm in any female is likely derived from multiple matings with a variety of males (Medlen 1951).

Male mosquitofish mature at approximately 1 month/21 mm SL, and females at 28 mm/6 weeks (McDowall 2000).

Embryology:
Females typically brood around 60 young, but large individuals may carry 300 or more (McDowall 2000).

The gestation period has been experimentally determined to average around 24 days, a timeframe that is in close agreement with field observations of pond-raised animals (Krumholz 1948). Most fry in the experimental investigation had absorbed the maternal yolk before being liberated, but some broods contained animals that had not completely absorbed the yolk sacs.