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.
Cichla kelberi is a freshwater tropical fish native to an isolated region of Brazil. Cichla kelberi is a piscivorous generalist. This species negatively impacts native species through predation and competition; it has been implicated in the extirpation of small prey fish in its introduced range. The history of invasiveness for this species is high. The introduced range of this species appears to be mostly limited to reservoirs in non-native areas of Brazil and Paraguay, where it has been introduced for recreational angling. Impacts include significant reductions in native fish populations and alterations in foraging of native species. Climate match with the United States is medium with all states having an individually low climate scores except for North Carolina and Texas, which had a medium score, and Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina, which had a high score. The certainty of assessment is medium. The overall risk assessment category for Cichla kelberi is high.
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High Risk
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