Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Giant Trahira (Hoplias aimara) - 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.

Giant trahira (Hoplias aimara) is a species of fish native to the Amazon River basin, the lower Orinoco River basin, and coastal rivers of northeastern South America. It is used as a sport fish in the Amazon. No introductions of this species have been reported, so no information is available on impacts of introduction. H. aimara is present in the aquarium trade in the United States, but can be expensive to purchase and is prohibited in Florida. The climate match with the contiguous United States is low, with medium matches occurring only in southern Florida and extreme southern Texas and Louisiana. Certainty of the assessment is low because of the lack of information on impacts and history of invasiveness is uncertain. Overall, the risk posed by H. aimara to the contiguous United States is uncertain.