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.
Geophagus brasiliensis, the Pearl Eartheater, is a cichlid species native to southeast Brazil and Uruguay. This species is popular in the aquarium trade and is bred commercially and in trade in the United States. It has been reported as introduced to Florida, probably as the result of an aquaculture escape, but no negative impacts of its introduction have been documented. The climate match of G. brasiliensis with the contiguous U.S. is medium overall, but medium to high in the Southeast. Outside of the U.S., it has been reported as introduced in Australia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. While no negative impacts of this species’ introduction have been documented, there is concern that it may displace native fish species with aggressive territorial behavior, disturb substrate during spawning, and compete with native species for food resources. Further research into these potential negative impacts is needed to assess the risk this species poses with any certainty, so the certainty of this assessment is low. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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