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Gambusia
''Gambusia'' is a large genus of viviparous fish in the family Poeciliidae (order Cyprinodontiformes). ''Gambusia'' contains over 40 species, most of which are principally found in freshwater habitats, though some species may also be found in brackish or saltwater habitats. The genus ''Gambusia'' comes from the Cuban term, "Gambusino", which means "free-lance miner". The type species is the Cuban gambusia, ''G. punctata''. The greatest species richness is in Mexico, Texas, and the Greater Antilles, but species are also found elsewhere in the eastern and southern United States, the Bahamas, Central America, and Colombia. ''Gambusia'' species are often called topminnows, or simply gambusias; they are also known as mosquitofish, which, however, refers more specifically to two species, '' G. affinis'' and '' G. holbrooki'', which are often introduced into ponds to eat mosquito larvae. As a consequence, they have been introduced widely outside their native range, and frequently become ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Marcos Gambusia
The San Marcos gambusia (''Gambusia georgei'') is a likely extinct species of ''Gambusia'' from the family Poeciliidae that was found only in the San Marcos Springs of Central Texas. The fish has not been seen since 1983. Etymology The specific name of this fish honors the American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985). Description The San Marcos gambusia was typically less than 1.6 inches (4 cm) in length. It had a dark body with a slight blue tint, although the median fins were lemon yellow. The scales were strongly crosshatched, and the dorsal fin had a dark stripe along its edge. The species’ exact diet is not known, but other poeciliids typically eat insect larvae and other small invertebrates. The fish were live bearing and were known to give birth to a few dozen young at a time. Habitat The San Marcos gambusia has only been identified in a 0.6-mile (1-km) stretch of the headwaters of the San Marcos River. They appeared to need clean and clear water, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gambusia Affinis
The western mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater poeciliid fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the eastern mosquitofish ('' Gambusia holbrooki'') is also referred to by these names. Mosquitofish are small in comparison to many other freshwater fish, with females reaching a maximum length of and males a maximum length of . The female can be distinguished from the male by her larger size and a gravid spot at the posterior of her abdomen. The name "mosquitofish" was given because the fish eats mosquito larvae, and has been used more than any other fishes for the biological control of mosquitoes. Gambusia typically eat zooplankton, beetles, mayflies, caddisflies, mites, and other invertebrates; mosquito larvae make up only a small portion of their diet. Mosquitofish were introduced directly into ecosystems in many parts of the worl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gambusia Holbrooki
The eastern mosquitofish (''Gambusia holbrooki'') is a species of freshwater fish, closely related to the western mosquitofish, ''Gambusia affinis''. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. The eastern mosquitofish is native to the eastern and southern United States from Florida to New Jersey and inland to Alabama and Tennessee, while the western mosquitofish has a larger distribution throughout the United States. Description The eastern mosquitofish is a small, light-colored fish with semitransparent fins. The females usually have a black stripe near their eye area and light spots can be seen on the caudal and dorsal fins of both sexes. Due to its similar size, shape, and reproductive habits, it can easily be mistaken for a guppy. Generally, males reach and females . These fish are a livebearer species, and as such, the females are larger and more rounded than the males. Pregnant females are also easily recognizable by their gravid spot; a darker ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cuban Gambusia
The Cuban gambusia, spotted gambusia or blue gambusia (''Gambusia punctata'') is a species of freshwater fish. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes, and is the type species of its genus. It is native to Cuba, inhabiting lakes, ponds and streams, including mountain streams. A carnivorous surface feeder, it occurs in shoals near the shoreline. It be found in estuarine habitat. This species has the terminal, upward-facing mouth typical of surface feeders, and a protruding belly. It has four or five rows of darkly spotted scales, possibly forming a dark lateral stripe in the case of the midline row. The dorsal and caudal fins are typically partially spotted. Males reach a maximum standard length (SL) of around 4.8 cm, with females reaching about 7.0 cm. Record SL for this species is 10 cm. ''Gambusia punctata'' is part of a species complex including '' G. rhizophorae'', '' G. xanthosoma'', '' G. beebei'' and '' G. pseudopunctata''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amistad Gambusia
The Amistad gambusia (''Gambusia amistadensis'') is an extinct species of small fish known only from a single locality, the large vegetated Goodenough Spring in Val Verde County, Texas. It apparently was driven to extinction in the wild when its habitat was submerged to a depth of about 70 feet by the construction of the Amistad Reservoir in 1968. The two captive populations, at the University of Texas System and the Dexter National Fish Hatchery in New Mexico, later failed through hybridization with the related mosquitofish and predation. The species has been classified as extinct by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service since 1987, and by the IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ... since 2013. References Further reading * Gambusia Fish described i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Widemouth Gambusia
The widemouth gambusia (''Gambusia eurystoma'') is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae of the order Cyprinodontiformes. It is endemic to Mexico, specifically to the Baños del Azufre (Grijalva River basin) near Teapa, Tabasco. The Baños del Azufre are sulfidic springs that contain high concentrations of toxic hydrogen sulfide (). This prevents most animals from living in them; the only other fish found in the toxic sections of Baños del Azufre is the sulphur molly (''Poecilia sulphuraria'').Tobler; Riesch; García de León; Schlupp; & Plath (2008). ''Two endemic and endangered fishes, Poecilia sulphuraria (Alvarez, 1948) and Gambusia eurystoma Miller, 1975 (Poeciliidae, Teleostei) as only survivors in a small sulphidic habitat.'' Journal of Fish Biology 72: 523–533. This species reaches a maximum overall length around . Little is known about ''G. eurystoma'', but the IUCN classifies it as Critically Endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or somet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gambusia Alvarezi
The yellowfin gambusia (''Gambusia alvarezi'') is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to the Rio Conchos of Chihuahua, Mexico, where it is known as ''guayacon de san gregorio''. This species was described in 1957 by Clark Hubbs and Victor G. Springer with the type locality given as El Ojo de San Gregorio in Chihuahua. The specific name of this fish honours the Mexican ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ... José Alvarez del Villar (1903-1986) for his work on the fishes of Mexico and for his assistance to Clark and Springer. References Gambusia Freshwater fish of Mexico Fish described in 1957 Taxa named by Clark Hubbs Taxa named by Victor G. Springer Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Poeciliidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crescent Gambusia
''Gambusia hurtadoi'', also known as crescent gambusia, is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is endemic to Chihuahua in Mexico, where it is known as ''guayacon de Hacienda Dolores''. It grows to total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f .... The species was described in 1957 by Carl Leavitt Hubbs and Victor G. Springer with the type locality given as El Ojo de la Hacienda Dolores, 7 miles south of Jiminez, Chihuahua, the spring to which this species is endemic. Hubbs and Springer honoured the Mexican Leopoldo Hurtado Olin of the Departamento de Economía in Chihuahua for his assistance during their collecting expedition to Chihuahua in June 1951. Hurtado Olin also informed Hubbs and Springer of the location of El Ojo de la Hacienda Dolores. Ref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root '' brak''. Certain human activities can produce brackish water, in particular civil engineering projects such as dikes and the flooding of coastal marshland to produce brackish water pools for freshwater prawn farming. Brackish water is also the primary waste product of the salinity gradient power process. Because brackish water is hostile to the growth of most terrestrial plant species, without appropriate management it can be damaging to the environment (see article on shrimp farms). Technically, brackish water contains between 0.5 and 30 grams of salt per litre—more often expressed as 0.5 to 30 parts per thousand (‰), which is a spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invasive Species
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native species that become harmful to their native environment after human alterations to its food web. Since the 20th century, invasive species have become serious economic, social, and environmental threats worldwide. Invasion of long-established ecosystems by organisms is a natural phenomenon, but human-facilitated introductions have greatly increased the rate, scale, and geographic range of invasion. For millennia, humans have served as both accidental and deliberate dispersal agents, beginning with their earliest migrations, accelerating in the Age of Discovery, and accelerating again with the spread of international trade. Notable invasive plant species include the kudzu vine, giant hogweed (''Heracleum mantegazzianum''), Japanese knotw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Frédéric Girard
Charles Frédéric Girard (; 8 March 1822 – 29 January 1895) was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology. Biography Girard was born on 8 March 1822 in Mulhouse, France. He studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard University. Three years later, Spencer Fullerton Baird called him to the Smithsonian Institution to work on its growing collection of North American reptiles, amphibians and fishes. He worked at the museum for the next ten years and published numerous papers, many in collaboration with Baird. In 1854, he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen. Besides his work at the Smithsonian, he managed to earn an M.D. from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1856. In 1859 he returned to France and was awarded the Cuvier Prize by the Institute of France for his work on the North American reptiles and fishes two years later. When the American Civil Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spencer Fullerton Baird
Spencer Fullerton Baird (; February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, ichthyologist, Herpetology, herpetologist, and museum curator. Baird was the first curator to be named at the Smithsonian Institution. He eventually served as assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian from 1850 to 1878, and as Secretary from 1878 until 1887. He was dedicated to expanding the natural history collections of the Smithsonian which he increased from 6,000 specimens in 1850 to over 2 million by the time of his death. He also served as the U.S. United States Fish Commission, Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries from 1871 to 1887 and published over 1,000 works during his lifetime. Early life and education Spencer Fullerton Baird was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1823. His mother was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Biddle family; he was a nephew of Speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate Charles B. Penrose and a first cousin, once removed, of U.S. Senator Boies Penr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
