The establishment of the North-American mosquito fish,Gambasia holbrooki, in Syrian inland waters)

摘要

The North-American mosquito fish,Gambusia holbrooki(Girard, 1859), came to Syria in 1929 but only recently spread over large parts of the country. Between 1977 and 1979Gambusiawas studied in various water bodies throughout Syria. The conditions For its successful establishment and its effect on populations of the indigenous cyprinodont fishAphanius mento(Heckel, 1843) were surveyed. Out of 31 localities whereGambusiaand/orAphaniusoccurred 17 were inhabited by both species, 11 only byAphaniusand three only byGambusia. A comparison of these localities indicated thatGambusiais better adapted to high salinity and polluted water whereasAphaniustolerates stronger currents. Possible negative effects ofGambusiaon the indigenous aquatic fauna of Syria are briefly discussed.