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

Brown Hoplo (Hoplosternum littorale) is a freshwater catfish native to South America. The species is commercially fished for human consumption and there is some recreational use. H. littorale has been established in Florida since 1995 and has expanded its range to cover much of the state; it has also been reported from Georgia but it is unknown if there is an establish population there. Most of the expansion may be due to illegal stocking to create a food source. Due to the lack of actual documented impacts of Hoplosternum littorale the invasiveness of this species is None Documented. Cage field studies have shown it to impact macroinvertebrate assemblages. This ecosystem interactions could lead to adverse impacts, but as of yet, there is no direct evidence of this. This species has a high climate match with the contiguous United States. The highest areas of match were in the Southeast while the Northeast, northern Midwest, and much of the west had low climate matches. The certainty of assessment is low due to a lack of documented actual impacts. The overall risk for this species is uncertain.