Gambusia holbrooki
Girard 1859
Family Poeciliidae
The eastern mosquitofish is a member of the livebearer family. This species has a flattened head, a small and strongly upturned mouth and a small dorsal fin with its origin behind the anal fin origin. The scales are olive-gray to yellowish on the back and side of the body, are darkly outlined, which produces a crosshatched appearance. There is a large, dusky to black teardrop on the dorsal and caudal fins. Eastern mosquitofish can be found in lakes, ponds, sloughs and swamps, and in backwaters and pools of streams. This species can sometimes be found in brackish water, although it is the most common freshwater fish in Florida.
Status & distribution
- Status — Native freshwater
- Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
- River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Blackwater River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, minor Gulf tributaries, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee River, Tampa Bay, the Myakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, the Tolomato or Matanzas River, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River