gambusia

American  

[gam-byoo-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] / gæmˈbyu ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of gambusia

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 • Oct. 24, 2023

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

From Washington Times • Nov. 23, 2014

The distinguished guests wandered off to inspect the Jersey cows, the Hampshire hogs, the gambusia fish, the flat fat fields, the workshops in which a War-ridden poverty-stricken peasantry is being guided toward economic independence.

From Time Magazine Archive

But Dr. House is proud of the fact that his school was the first to introduce to Greece the gambusia minnow which devours mosquito larvae.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson