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Cyprinodontiformes (Rivulines, killifishes and live bearers) >
Poeciliidae (Poeciliids) > Poeciliinae
Etymology: Gambusia: Gambusia: From the Cuban term, Gambusino, which means "nothing", usually in the context of a joke or a farce. Fishing for gambusinos = when one catches nothing (Ref. 45335); affinis: affinis meaning related (Ref. 10294).
More on authors: Baird & Girard.
Ambiente: milieu / zona climatica / distribuzione batimetrica / gamma di distribuzione
Ecologia
; acqua dolce; salmastro benthopelagico; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19; potamodromo (Ref. 5258). Subtropical; 12°C - 29°C (Ref. 52055); 42°N - 26°N
North and Central America: Mississippi River basin from central Indiana and Illinois in USA south to Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Slope drainages west to Mexico. One of the species with the widest range of introductions which acquired for itself a near pan-global distribution (Ref. 1739). Several countries report adverse ecological impact after introduction.
Dimensione / Peso / Età
Maturità: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 5.1 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 50932); 7.0 cm TL (female); common length : 3.9 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 12193); Età massima riportata: 3.00 anni (Ref. 796)
Spine dorsali (totale) : 0; Raggi dorsali molli (totale) : 7 - 9; Spine anali: 0; Raggi anali molli: 9 - 10. Origin of dorsal fin opposite 7th anal ray. Length of anal base much less than half distance from caudal. 8 horizontal scale rows between back and abdomen. Ventrals terminate immediately before anal fin. Pelvic fins reach ventrals.
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal; Cross section: circular.
Most abundant in lower reaches of streams (Ref. 44091). Adults inhabit standing to slow-flowing water; most common in vegetated ponds and lakes, backwaters and quiet pools of streams. They are found frequently in brackish water (Ref. 5258). Pelagic and surface predatory fish (Ref. 94816). They feed on zooplankton, small insects and detritus (Ref. 5258, 10294). Used as live food for carnivorous aquarium fishes. Viviparous (Ref. 5258, 30578). Effective in mosquito control and widely introduced, but found to compete with indigenous fish and to upset the ecological balance (Ref. 6351).
The species is viviparous (Ref. 5258). Internal fertilization is possible because the anal fin of the male is modified into a copulatory organ. The females carries about 30 alevins and gestation lasts for a period of 24 days (Ref. 6348) to a month (Ref. 30578).
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)
Stato della Lista Rossa IUCN (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
Minaccia per l'uomo
Potential pest
Usi umani
Pesca: scarso interesse commerciale; Acquario: Commerciale
Strumenti
Rapporti speciali
Scarica XML
Fonti Internet
Stime basate su modelli
Indice di diversità filogenetica (Fonte Biblio.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00851 (0.00691 - 0.01048), b=3.13 (3.07 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Livello trofico (Fonte Biblio.
69278): 3.1 ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 1.4 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2
growth studies.
Resilienza (Fonte Biblio.
120179): Medio, tempo minimo di raddoppiamento della popolazione 1.4 - 4.4 anni (K=1.20; tmax=3; Fec=10-60).
Vulnerabilità della pesca (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100).
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