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.
Poecilia vittata, Cuban limia, is a small livebearing fish native to Cuba. It has been present in the aquarium trade for decades, including in the United States. P. vittata was introduced and has become established in Hawaii, possibly as a result of an aquarium release. It has been suggested that exotic poeciliids including P. vittata have had a negative impact on native damselflies in Hawaii, but the impacts of P. vittata specifically are not known. History of invasiveness is classified as “none documented.” P. vittata has a medium climate match with the contiguous United States, with a high climate score in Florida and a medium climate score in Texas. Certainty of this assessment is low because of a lack of clear, credible research into the negative impacts of introductions of this species outside of its native range. The overall risk assessment category is therefore uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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