Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Trichomycterus itacarambiensis (a catfish, no common name) - 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.

Trichomycterus itacarambiensis is a South American catfish found in the Olhos d' Agua Cave in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Within the cave, T. itacarambiensis is found in a variety of habitats from shallow running water to deep pools with soft, gravel, or rocky bottoms and seem to avoid areas with large amounts of iron bacteria. Individuals of this species have been observed swimming throughout the water column, from bottom habitats to surface waters. T. itacarambiensis is a carnivorous generalist, preying mainly on autochthonous insects and earthworms throughout the water column, though bottom feeding seems to be more important foraging tactic to this species compared to other cave catfish species. There have been no reports of this fish outside of its native range. It is present in the international aquarium trade. T. itacarambiensis is regulated in multiple States. The history of invasiveness is No Known Nonnative Population. The overall climate match was low. There were two small areas of medium match in southern Florida and Texas. Due to the lack of information on the history of invasiveness the certainty of assessment is low. The overall risk for this species is uncertain.