World War II and the rise of the plague minnowGambusia holbrooki(Girard, 1859) in Australia

Abstract

The Plague Minnow Gambusia holbrooki (Girard, 1859) was first introduced into Australian waters in 1925. Early introductions were carried out in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and later Perth, by government agencies in an attempt to reduce the incidence of mosquitoes in the capital cities. G. holbrooki flourished, but no reports were made of any apparent ecological problems arising from its introduction.World War II and the advent of the war in the Pacific resulted in heavy Allied troop movements between mainland Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. Malaria began to take a heavy toll, so the US Army instigated a means of mosquito control through the captive-breeding and introduction of the Western Gambusia G. affinis (Baird and Girard, 1853) throughout the south-west Pacific region. The Australian Army initiated a similar campaign using the already-available G. holbrooki to establish gambusia in creeks and wetlands near military bases and hospitals in eastern Australia. The Australian Army Malaria...