Gambusia holbrooki Girard, 1859

[I]—Eastern mosquitofish

Taxonomy. Original description: Gambusia holbrooki Girard, 1859: 390 [Palatka, eastern Florida, (Palatka, eastern Florida and Charleston, South Carolina), USA; lectotype: ANSP 6976; lectotype selected by Huber (2019: 64)].— Afghanistan synonyms: None.—Revisions: Rauchenberger (1989: 3).—Illustration: McEachran & Fechhelm (1998: 924, fig.).

Status in Afghanistan. First record from Afghanistan by Polevoj et al. (1973); confirmed by Coad [1981: 8 as Gambusia affinis (non Baird & Girard 1853); 2014: 319], Coad (1981), Haas and Pal (1984), Lever (1996), Penning and Beintema (2006).—Afghanistan materials: None.

Distribution and habitat. Distribution in Afghanistan:Widespread all basins of Afghanistan.—General distribution: North America: Atlantic and Gulf Coast drainages, eastern USA; widely introduced elsewhere for mosquito control.—Habitat: This species often occurs in shallow, often stagnant ponds and the shallow edges of lakes and streams where predatory fishes are largely absent and temperatures are high. Freshwater, brackish.

Economic importance. No commercial importance.

Reasons of introduction. Ornamental fish industry.

Conservation. Not relevant (introduced species).

Remarks. Gambusia holbrooki has been widely introduced and is important in controlling malaria, especially in rice fields, and its significance for Afghanistan is evidenced by a guidebook on the use of Gambusia written in Dari (Anonymous 1979). A summary of its use in Afghanistan can be found in a publication by the World Health Organization (2003).