Original description as Heterandria affinis:
- Baird, Spencer F. & C.F. Girard. 1853. "Descriptions of new species of fishes collected by Mr. John H. Clark, on the U. S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, under Lt. Col. Jas. D. Graham". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 6:387-390 (ffm04562)
Synonyms (3):
- Gambusia patruelis Baird & Girard, 1853, with type locality at Rio Sabanal; Rio Leona; Rio Neuces; and Elm Creek, Texas, U.S.A. Determiner: Rosen & Bailey, 1963
- Gambusia humilis Girard, 1859, with type locality at Matamoros, Mexico. Determiner: Rosen & Bailey, 1963
- Haplochilus melanops Cope, 1870, with type locality at Neuse River basin, Wake County, North Carolina, U.S.A. Determiner: Rosen & Bailey, 1963
- Zygonectes atrilatus Jordan & Brayton, 1878, with type locality at Neuse River near Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.A. Determiner: Parenti et al., 1999
- Zygonectes brachypterus Cope, 1880, with type locality at Trinity River at Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A. Determiner: Rosen & Bailey, 1963
- Zygonectes inurus Jordan & Gilbert, 1882, with type locality at Cache Creek, southern Illinois, U.S.A. Determiner: Rosen & Bailey, 1963
- Gambusia myersi Ahl, 1923, with type locality at Mexico. Determiner: Baird & Girard, 1853
Conservation: Gambusia affinis is not evaluated by the international union for the conservation of nature in the iucn red list of threatened species.