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.
Betta splendens, the Siamese Fighting Fish, is a small freshwater fish species native to Southeast Asia. It is ubiquitous in the aquarium trade in the United States and globally. It has been introduced to several countries outside of its native range, and it is currently established and reproducing in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Singapore. No research has yet examined the impacts of these introductions, so the history of introduction is “none documented.” B. splendens has a low overall climate match with the contiguous United States, with areas of medium climate match in southern Florida and Texas. Further information is needed to fully evaluate the potential risk this species poses to the contiguous United States, so the certainty of this assessment is low and the overall risk assessment category is uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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