Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Hypostomus cochliodon (a catfish, 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.

Hypostomus cochliodon is a member of the suckermouth armored catfish family (Loricariidae), native to South America. This species has not been reported outside of its native range in the Paraguay and middle Paraná River basins; there are no reported occurrences in the United States. However, members of the Hypostomus genus have been collected in the U.S., and these populations have not been identified down to the species level. It is important to note the difficulty in identifying the species of the Hypostomus genus. Competition with native species, changes to the physical and chemical attributes of the environment, and disruption of fisheries were cited as potential impacts of Hypostomus spp. introduction. H. cochliodon had a medium Climate 6 score with the contiguous U.S.; the Southeast, particularly Florida, was found to be the most compatible region for this species in terms of climate. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain for H. cochliodon due to the many uncertainties surrounding this species and its introduction history.