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.
Cherax albidus is a crayfish native to the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria. It has been introduced in Western Australia, South Africa, and Zambia for aquaculture purposes. C. albidus is also present in the aquarium trade, including in the United States. Multiple states have listed C. albidus as a prohibited species, disallowing possession and importation into the state. C. albidus is thought to compete with the native C. tenuimanus in Western Australia, but scientific evidence appears limited and one peer-reviewed study found that C. albidus was unable to displace C. tenuimanus from shelters consistently. C. albidus was also found to cause minimal damage to infrastructure through burrowing compared to other crayfish species. Climate match of C. albidus to the contiguous U.S. was medium, with the most suitable climate occurring on the Pacific Coast. The overall risk assessment for Cherax albidus is uncertain because no scientifically rigorous studies have yet attributed adverse impacts to introduced C. albidus.
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Uncertain Risk
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