Blotched Gambusia

Gambusia senilis

Poeciliidae · freshwater water fish

2 minute read · Species guide

Blotched Gambusia field guide illustration

About Blotched Gambusia

Gambusia senilis, the blotched gambusia, is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae found in Mexico, where it is called guayacon pinto, and formerly in the Devil's River in the Rio Grande basin in Texas. The Texas population was extirpated following the construction of the Amistad Dam.

Diet and feeding

The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: algae or phytoplankton; invertebrates or larval fish. These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.

Reported feeding positions include surface or water-column feeding. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include streams and small rivers, creeks, springs or subterranean waters.

The source records associations with muck, clay or silt, sand, gravel, cobble, bedrock, vegetation, organic debris. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 0.3 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.

Batch or serial spawning has been reported somewhere in the species’ range. This does not establish the same spawning pattern for every population.

Recorded spawning months are Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul for the source’s reporting region (MEX). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 4.6 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Recorded longevity in the compilation is 1 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.

Range

Where it lives

Share of 10 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 1 states.
0%
100%
Share of 10 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 1 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Migration
Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Superclass
Actinopterygii
Class
Teleostei
Order
Cyprinodontiformes
Genus
Gambusia
Species
Gambusia senilis
ITIS TSN
165889
WoRMS AphiaID
1021264
GBIF key
2350626

Common questions about Blotched Gambusia

What is the scientific name of Blotched Gambusia?
The scientific name is Gambusia senilis, in the family Poeciliidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Blotched Gambusia live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Blotched Gambusia been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 1 states, with the most records in Texas. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives

Other Gambusia species

Same family

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