mosquitofish

American  

[muh-skee-toh-fish] / məˈski toʊˌfɪʃ /

Also mosquito fish

noun

plural

mosquitofish,

plural

mosquitofishes

1. any of several fishes that feed on mosquito larvae, as Gambusia affinis, found in the southeastern U.S., now introduced into other parts of the world for mosquito control.

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Etymology

Origin of mosquitofish

First recorded in 1925–30; mosquito + fish

Example Sentences

McNeish, who has examined the fish carcasses since late August, has identified non-native species including bass, sunfish, bullhead catfish and mosquitofish.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024

Everywhere the mosquitofish has been introduced, the topminnow has disappeared.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2022

But sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, the Western mosquitofish was introduced in a misguided effort to control mosquitos — they eat mosquito larvae, but so do Barrens topminnows.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 21, 2022

The researchers put their Terminator-like creation in a tank together with six wild-caught mosquitofish and six wild-caught tadpoles.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2021

Ryan Amick and his colleagues at the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District are fighting the explosion of mosquitoes in Los Angeles this summer with mosquitofish.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2018