Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Red Discus (Symphysodon discus) - Low Risk

Species that are considered low risk present a minimal risk of invasiveness because the climate where they are established is sufficiently different from the United States climate AND there is no evidence of invasiveness globally.

Symphysodon discus, the Red Discus, is a fish native to the Amazon River basin in Brazil. The history of invasiveness is low. S. discus has been introduced to the Philippines and the United States (geothermal waters in Colorado). It is unlikely that this species is established in the Philippines and the report from Colorado was from the early 1980s and there have been no further reports. This fish is found in the aquarium trade and has a significant trade history. Chapman et al. (1997) reported a monthly import of just under 13,000 individuals of S. discus in 1992. If that number is extrapolated, there has been importation of over 4 million individuals to the United States since 1992. The climate match for the contiguous United States is low. There were no areas of high or medium match. The certainty of assessment is medium due to lack of information on introductions and the limited nature of the trade information. The overall risk assessment category for Symphysodon discus is low.