gambusia

[ gam-byoo-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh ]

noun

1. any fish of the genus Gambusia, comprising small livebearers that feed on aquatic insect larvae and are used to control mosquitoes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gambusia¹

1900–05; < New Latin, alteration of Cuban Spanish gambusino; -ia

Example Sentences

Species of gambusia like the one designated extinct in the government list are crucial for controlling mosquitos, which are more than just a summertime nuisance but a vector for disease.

From Los Angeles Times

Among the dead were mullets, snook, moj arras, gambusia.

From Literature

Biologists believe the gambusia has been extinct since at least 1982.

From Washington Times

The district also uses a mosquito-eating fish called gambusia to keep mosquito eggs from hatching at 20 sites in its coverage area where the minnow-sized fish can't escape into larger bodies of water.

From Chicago Tribune

Even worse, several species of larger North American fishes from the genus Gambusia were introduced to the region in the middle of the 20th century to control mosquitoes.

From Scientific American