Gambusia Affinis and Poecilia Reticulata

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Gambusia Affinis (Mosquitofish) and Poecilia Reticulata (Guppy) Latest News

Recently, the National Green Tribunal has asked for a response from the Central government on the use of Gambusia Affinis (Mosquitofish) and Poecilia Reticulata (Guppy) as biological mosquito control agents.

About Gambusia Affinis (Mosquitofish)

It is known as mosquito fish, and is widely used as a biological agent for controlling mosquito larvae.
It is native to the waters of the south-eastern United States.
It has been a part of mosquito-control strategies for over a century in various parts of the world, including India.
Also, it has been part of various malaria control strategies in India since 1928, including the Urban Malaria Scheme.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared Gambusia one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world.
The states which stored and released Mosquitofish were Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.

About Poecilia Reticulata (Guppy)

It is a small benthopelagic fish native to Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela and the Caribbean Islands.
Habitat: It is a non-migratory fish that can inhabit both fresh and brackish water.
It is a popular aquarium species and is also commonly used in genetics research.
It can occupy a wide range of aquatic habitats and is a threat to native cyprinids and killifishes. It is a carrier of exotic parasites and is believed to play a role in the decline of several threatened and endangered species.
It has been released in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Odisha.