EntdeckenFische

Eastern Mosquitofish

gambusia holbrooki

The Eastern Mosquitofish is a small, lively fish that's great for controlling mosquito populations! They zip around in the water, making them fun to watch as they play and explore their home.

Lebensraum: Ponds, streams, and marshes across the eastern United States.

Aussehen

The Eastern Mosquitofish is a small, slender fish with a flattened head and an upward-pointing mouth. It has a dull greyish-olive back fading to a silvery-white belly, often with a dark 'gravid spot' visible on females. Its small size and distinct male anal fin (gonopodium) differentiate it.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseActinopterygiiOrdnungCyprinodontiformesFamiliePoeciliidaeGattungGambusia

Eastern Mosquitofish

Kategorie

Fische

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

0/5 · Keine bekannte Gefahr

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Female mosquitofish can store sperm for months, making many batches of babies!

Introduced worldwide to fight mosquitoes, they are now one of the most widespread fish!

These tiny fish can gulp air from the surface when water oxygen is low!

They are super tiny but can be aggressive, nipping the fins of larger fish!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Eastern Mosquitofish can devour large numbers of mosquito larvae, which helps them control insect populations in their watery homes.

Eastern Mosquitofish has the amazing ability to give birth to live, fully formed young, skipping the egg stage for survival.

Eastern Mosquitofish can endure harsh conditions like low oxygen because of its adaptable gill and kidney systems.

Maße und Details

Länge: 2-6 cm
Gewicht: 0.001-0.005 kg
Lebenserwartung: 1-2 Jahre
Schwimmgeschwindigkeit: 8 km/h
Maximale Tiefe: 2 m
Wasserart: Süßwasser

Ernährung und Fütterung

These tiny fish are expert insect hunters, gobbling up mosquito larvae and other small critters.

Hauptnahrung

mosquito larvae
aquatic insect larvae
zooplankton
small terrestrial insects

Nahrungssuche

Foraging

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Yellow Fever Mosquito

Aedes aegypti

eats their larvae, helping control mosquito populations

eaten by

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

a common food source for this larger predatory fish

eaten by

Mallard Duck

Anas platyrhynchos

small size makes them prey for waterfowl

Merkmale

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.