Species profile
Eastern Mosquitofish
Gambusia holbrooki
At a glance
Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) is an IUCN Least Concern bony-fish species with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
Confirmed by 8,251 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Native to Atlantic Coast freshwater drainages from New Jersey south through Florida.
- Females can store sperm to fertilize multiple successive broods from a single mating.
- Tolerates salinities approaching full seawater, surviving in both freshwater streams and coastal marshes.
- Gives birth to live young; females can produce multiple broods per warm-season year.
- Introduced worldwide, it now outcompetes native small fish in many freshwater habitats.
Where Eastern Mosquitofish are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Eastern Mosquitofish
Background
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 Delaware and inland to Alabama and Tennessee, while the western mosquitofish has a larger…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Eastern Mosquitofish article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.