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.
The golden mbuna, Melanochromis auratus, is a tropical cichlid (fish) endemic to Lake Malawi in Malawi. This species is reported as highly commercialized in the aquarium trade, but supporting data was not found. The history of invasiveness is Data Deficient. M. auratus has been reported in Florida and Nevada, but the populations did not become established. M. auratus is reported as introduced in Israel but the population is sustained by continuous restocking and not natural reproduction. No information on impacts of introduction have been reported. The climate match for the contiguous United States is low. All States received low individual climate scores. The certainty of assessment is low. The overall risk assessment category for Melanochromis auratus is Uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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