Pet owners are being warned about the consequences of releasing fish into the wild following new research into the ability of one species to multiply in new habitats.

Scientists found that releasing a single female guppy into open waters can generate an entirely new population, even if no males are around.

The guppy’s ability to reproduce has seen its numbers increase “dramatically” over the last century and it is now found in every continent except Antarctica.

But researchers have warned that even the well-intentioned release of unwanted pets can contribute to the loss of biodiversity in freshwater habitats.

Biologists at the University of St Andrews and the University of the West Indies teamed up to study the guppy, whose ability to keep on reproducing has earned it a reputation as one of the world’s most invasive fish.

The popular ornamental fish, whose native home is Trinidad and the north-eastern fringe of South America, can now be found in more than 70 countries.

Scientists surveyed hundreds of biologists and found that guppies finding their way into the wild were likely to have been kept previously as ornamental pets, or were deliberately introduced to eat mosquito larvae and slow the spread of malaria.