Mosquito fish

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 Mosquito Fish Gambusia holbrooki

The mosquito fish belong to the Poeciliidae family. 

The eastern mosquito fish grows up to 2 inches long, they are brown/olive colour on the topside with a yellow underside and silver on the sides. On the dorsal and caudal fins there are lines of black spots. Underneath the eye there is a black mark, which looks like a tear drop. 

The fish live in slowing moving water like marshes, ponds and lakes, the ideal substrate would be muddy with a wide variety of plants. 

The breeding season for the mosquito fish is between April to August, the females are bear live young which is unusual. One female can give birth to two hundred young per year. After mating, the fry arrive four weeks later.  

The fish will eat anything from worms, crustaceans, insects, algae, tadpoles, pupae and mosquito larvae. They also eat the eggs of other fish for example largemouth bass, they also have cannibalism tendencies. They are very aggressive by attacking the fins of bigger fish.  

The mosquito fish has a parasite with the name 'The big red worm' which is a nematode. The nematode used the mosquito fish for its life cycle, the nematode doesnt cause any harm to the fish. 

The animals which predate on mosquito fish are snakes, turtles, birds and bigger fish. 

Mosquito fish got their name by eating the mosquito larvae, they were used to help control the mosquito populations. They were added to streams, marshes, lakes, and ponds. 

Fcps.edu, (2015). eastern mosquitofish. [online] Available at: http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/eastern_mosquitofish.htm [Accessed 5 Apr. 2015].