Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Cichlasoma pusillum (a cichlid, no common name) - 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. This additional information will help inform decisions on where, when, and how the species may be used to minimize risks of them becoming invasive.

Cichlasoma pusillum is a cichlid fish species native to the Paraná River basin in Paraguay and from the upper Paraná and Uruguay River basins in southern Brazil. Detailed information about the range of this species is not known. It has never been reported as introduced outside of its native range. Therefore, history of invasiveness is uncertain. It is used as an aquarium fish, but is apparently not sold in the United States. C. pusillum has a medium climate match with the contiguous United States, based on source locations derived from the general location of the Acaray River in the Paraná River basin. The areas of highest match were located in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Certainty of this assessment is low because additional information is needed on the biology, range, and invasive potential of C. pusillum to adequately assess the risk it poses to the contiguous United States. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.