Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Red Port Acara (Cichlasoma portalegrense) - 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. This additional information will help inform decisions on where, when, and how the species may be used to minimize risks of them becoming invasive.

Cichlasoma portalegrense, the Red Port Acara, is a cichlid species native to South America. There is some uncertainty regarding the exact range of the species within South America with many georeferenced occurrences reported outside the documented range of the species. This species has no credible documented introductions outside of its native range. Therefore, history of invasiveness is uncertain. C. portalegrense may be used in the aquarium trade, but no indication of trade in the United States was found. This species has a medium climate match with the contiguous United States. The area of highest match is located in the southeastern United States. Because there is little information available about C. portalegrense, confusion about its range, and its history of invasiveness is uncertain, the certainty of this assessment is low. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.