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.
Orconectes propinquus is a crayfish species native to the Midwest and Northeast US. It is threatened over parts of its native range by the invasion of rusty crayfish, O. rusticus, but some research suggests that O. propinquus itself has negative impacts on non-native ecosystems. Where O. propinquus has been introduced into lakes in northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan, macrophytes and native crayfish have declined. In 2010, established populations of O. propinquus were discovered in Colorado; no studies have been published yet on the potential impacts of the species in this location so far outside its native range. Climate match for the contiguous US is high. Overall risk for this species is high, with medium certainty.
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High Risk
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