Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Butterfly Peacock Bass (Cichla ocellaris) - 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.

Cichla ocellaris, the Butterfly Peacock Bass, is a large piscivorous fish native to northern South America. This species has been intentionally introduced for sport fishing and to control other introduced species (e.g., tilapia). There are records of C. ocellaris for sale in the United States and at least ten States regulate its possession or trade. A 2006 study split C. ocellaris into several different species, retaining the name Cichla ocellaris for one of the species, but not all authors have accepted these taxonomic changes. As a result, it is difficult to verify whether some of the introduced populations are populations of C. ocellaris under the new taxonomy, or one of the related species that were included in C. ocellaris under the old taxonomy. Although there are some records of negative, neutral, and positive ecological and economic impacts, in most cases the species identity could not be confirmed so the History of Invasiveness for C. ocellaris is classified as Data Deficient. The climate matching analysis for the contiguous United States indicates establishment concern for this species with the highest matches occurring in Florida. However, taxonomic uncertainty contributes to uncertainty in the results of the climate matching analysis, too. As a result, the Certainty of Assessment for this ERSS is classified as Low. The Overall Risk Assessment Category of C. ocellaris in the contiguous United States is Uncertain.