Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Brown Hoplo (Hoplosternum littorale) - Uncertain Risk

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

Hoplosternum littorale, brown hoplo, is a fish that is native to much of South America. This fish is a facultative air breather which allows it to survive in areas with degraded environmental conditions. H. littorale is present in the aquarium trade and is used as a food source. Those human uses have resulted in introductions and establishment throughout Florida. H. littorale has also been introduced and become established outside its native range in Brazil. There is suggestion that nonnative populations of H. littorale have the potential to cause negative impacts but none are yet reported from the wild. One experimental study did find a negative correlation between the presence of H. littorale and reductions in macroinvertebrate richness and abundance. The History of Invasiveness for Hoplosternum littorale is classified as Data Deficient. The climate matching analysis for the contiguous United States indicates establishment concern for this species. Much of the contiguous United States had a medium climate match for Hoplosternum littorale, and the coastal southeastern United States had a high climate match. The Certainty of Assessment for this ERSS is classified as Low due to lack of information regarding impacts from introduced populations. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for Hoplosternum littorale in the contiguous United States is Uncertain.