Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Blue Panchax (Aplocheilus panchax) - Uncertain Risk

Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.

Aplocheilus panchax, the Blue Panchax, is a tropical fish native to Southeast Asia. This species is native to Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. A. panchax is usually found in the lowland wetlands and spawns during the monsoon months. A. panchax has been purposely introduced to areas outside of their native range, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and the Philippines, due to their popularity in the aquarium trade and their use as a biological control agent for mosquitos. No information regarding negative impacts of introduction have been reported for Aplocheilus panchax. The history of invasiveness is none documented. The climate match for the contiguous United States is low, with all states having individually low climate scores. The certainty of assessment is medium. The overall risk assessment category for Aplocheilus panchax is uncertain.