Species that are considered high risk have a well-documented history of invasiveness in at least one location globally, and a high or medium climate match to the contiguous United States.
The Stinging Catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis is an airsac catfish native to southern Asia. This species has venomous spines that can cause serious harm to human health if stung. H. fossilis is reported as prohibited in California, Connecticut, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. This species has been introduced to Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. It has become established in all locations, with the exception of Turkey, where the establishment status is currently unknown. This species impacts humans in Iraq, where it has been introduced, because of its venomous sting. H. fossilis also is reported to impact native fish in their introduced range through competition and predation of eggs. Although in its native range is it regarded as a species of “high economic importance” because of its use for human consumption, no information on the availability of this species in trade was found. The history of invasiveness is classified as High. The overall climate match for the contiguous United States is Medium, with the areas of high and medium match in the Southwest and Florida. The certainty of this assessment is High because human impacts are reported in a reliable source. The overall risk assessment category for Heteropneustes fossilis is High.
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High Risk
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