Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Malapterurus monsembeensis (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.

Malapterurus monsembeensis is an electric catfish native to the Congo River basin in Africa. M. monsembeensis is used for fisheries. Some species in this genus are able to produce electric discharges in the range of hundreds of volts to stun prey and for defense. The history of invasiveness is uncertain. No records of introductions were found. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has listed the electric catfish M. mosembeensis as a prohibited species. The climate match is low for the entire contiguous United States except for peninsula Florida and coastal Louisiana. Florida had an individually high climate score. The certainty of assessment is low because of lack of information; the overall risk assessment category is uncertain.