Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Threespot Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) - 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.

Threespot Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) is a species of freshwater fish native to Southeast Asia. This species is adapted to degraded environmental conditions and has the ability to breathe air when needed. T. trichopterus is widely used in the aquarium trade, has been used as a food fish, for research, and for mosquito control. This species can be infected with epizootic ulcerative syndrome, an OIE-reportable disease. The history of invasiveness is none documented. There are multiple records of introductions that have resulted in established populations, including in Puerto Rico. Impacts of introduction include reports of displacing native fish species and causing population declines in an endangered fish species, but these possible impacts have not been clearly demonstrated in a scientific study. An additional potential impact is introducing and spreading diseases. The climate match is medium. Much of the contiguous United States had a low climate match, but there was a stretch of medium match more or less from southern Georgia in the east to southern California in the west. Southeastern Florida had an area of high climate match. The certainty of assessment is low. There is enough quality information about T. trichopterus biology and range to make an assessment, but the information on impacts of introduction are equivocal. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.