Species that are considered high risk have a well-documented history of invasiveness in at least one location globally, and a high or medium climate match to the contiguous United States.
Viviparus viviparus, the common river snail, is a freshwater snail that is native throughout Europe and into Eastern Russia. This species is used within the aquarium trade in Europe but no evidence of trade within the United States was found. There is conflicting evidence about where this species has been introduced within Europe. It was recorded in the United States in the 1970’s but has not been observed since then. Viviparus viviparus has been introduced and has established populations in Russia. Those populations have altered the structure of the microbenthic community, affected fisheries, and impacted recreation and infrastructure. The history of invasiveness is classified as High. Climate match with the contiguous United States resulted in a High match. Areas of high match were around the Great Lakes and in the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains. The certainty of assessment is classified as Medium due to the conflicting information regarding the native range of the species. The overall risk assessment category is High.
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High Risk
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