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.
Moonlight Gourami (Trichopodus microlepis) is native to areas of the Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins in Southeast Asia. It is a popular species in the aquarium industry. The history of invasiveness for T. microlepis is None Documented. Introductions have occurred in multiple countries primarily due to aquarium and aquaculture escapes and some of those introductions have resulted in established populations. It is unknown what ecological impacts those introductions have caused. Froese and Pauly (2017) reported some beneficial socioeconomic effects in Colombia, but no further detail was provided about those benefits. The climate match is low, with areas of medium match in southeastern Texas and southern Florida. The certainty of assessment is low due to portions of the species distribution not represented in the climate match and a lack of information on impacts of introduction. The overall risk assessment is uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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