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.
The Largespot River Stingray (Potamotrygon falkneri) is a large bodied stingray that is native to the Paraná-Paraguay River basin. This species is in the ornamental trade, including within the United States. P. falkneri is listed as a Conditional species in Florida, which prohibits possession without a special permit. The history of invasiveness for Potamotrygon falkneri is High. It has invaded now accessible upstream regions and causes injuries to humans using the same waterbodies for recreational and commercial activity. The climate match with the contiguous United States is medium. Most of the contiguous United States had a low match with the areas of medium and high match concentrated in the southeast from Texas to Virginia. The certainty of this assessment is medium. There was only one peer-reviewed report of impacts available which did not include much detailed information. The overall risk assessment category is High.
Publication date
Type of document
High Risk
Program
