Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Ripsaw Catfish (Oxydoras niger) - 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.

Ripsaw Catfish (Oxydoras niger) is a tropical fish found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela in the Amazon, São Francisco, Orinoco, and Essequibo River basins. Oxydoras niger is found in the aquarium trade. The history of invasiveness is no known nonnative population. A single introduction has been documented in Florida, but according to Froese and Pauly (2019) and Nico et al. (2019), it does not represent an established population. No impacts of introduction have been documented. The climate match for the contiguous United States is medium, with all States receiving low individual climate scores except Florida, which had a high climate score. The certainty of assessment is low. The overall risk assessment category for Oxydoras niger is uncertain.