Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Redeye Tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae) - Uncertain Risk

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.

Redeye tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae) is a South American fish that is native to river basins in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. They are a freshwater schooling fish and are highly commercial in aquarium trade. M. sanctaefilomenae are commonly sold in hobby aquarium shops. The history of invasiveness is uncertain; M. sanctaefilomenae has only been reported twice outside of its historical range. The introduction in Florida failed to establish, and information on the introductions reported in inland waters of Asia is lacking. The overall climate match for the contiguous United States was medium. Most of the contiguous United States had a low climate match, but the southern Atlantic Coast and the Gulf coast had areas of high match. The certainty of assessment is low due to a general lack of information. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.