MOSQUITOFISH (Gambusia spp.) can help naturally control mosquito populations. These minnows feed on mosquito larvae and small invertebrates, and can adapt to a variety of water conditions.
ALIAS: Skeeter eater
IDENTIFICATION: Small, elongated livebearer with a rounded belly and upturned mouth. Body generally gray to olive with darker scale margins; females often show a dark gravid spot near the rear of the abdomen. Single soft-rayed dorsal fin set well behind midbody; rounded caudal fin; no adipose fin. Males smaller with an elongated, modified anal fin (gonopodium); females larger with a normal fan-shaped anal fin.
DIET: Mosquito larvae & pupae, Aquatic insects (midges, mayflies, small insect larvae), Zooplankton (copepods, cladocerans), Small crustaceans (amphipods, ostracods), Fish eggs & fry, and Algae/detritus (occasionally)
HABITAT: Inhabits shallow, warm, slow-moving or still waters including ponds, lakes, wetlands, ditches, canals, and stream margins; prefers areas with aquatic vegetation and protected shoreline habitat. Highly tolerant of warm temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, and variable water quality; reproduces readily in suitable freshwater habitats.
SPAWNING: Mosquitofish bear live young and reproduce every three to four weeks.
USE: Mosquitofish have been stocked worldwide in an attempt to control mosquito larvae, especially in areas where malaria, yellow fever and West Nile virus are found.
Available East Slope Only; Call to Confirm