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 Ocellate River Stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) is one of the most well-known and widely distributed species of the freshwater rays in the Potamotrygonidae family. This species is popular in the aquarium trade, which is believed to be the vector of its introduction in Singapore. P. motoro has also been introduced outside of its native range in Brazil where the main impact has been injuries to humans from this species in an area that did not previously have any species of freshwater stingray. Due to risk of injury to humans, this species is the subject of ‘negative fishing’ in which the species has the barb removed or is killed after a recreational capture. P. motoro is in trade in the United States and is regulated by multiple States. The history of invasiveness for this species is High. The certainty of assessment is high. The overall climate match to the contiguous United States was medium. The areas of highest match were in the southeast, along the Gulf Coast, and mid-Atlantic. The overall risk assessment category for this species is High.
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High Risk
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