United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS)

Introduced (non-native) species that becomes established may eventually become invasive, so tracking introduced species provides a baseline for effective modeling of species trends and interactions, geospatially and temporally. The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS) is comprised of three lists, one each for Alaska (AK, with 532 records), Hawaii (HI, with 6,075 records), and the conterminous United States (L48, with 8,657 records). Each list includes introduced (non-native), established (reproducing) taxa that: are, or may become, invasive (harmful) in the locality; are not known to be harmful there; and/or have been used for biological control in the locality. To be included in the US-RIIS, a taxon must be non-native everywhere in the locality and established (reproducing) anywhere in the locality. Native pest species are not included. Each record has information on taxonomy, dates of introduction (where available; currently for 38%), invasion status (invasive or introduced), and citations for the authoritative sources from which this information is drawn. The US-RIIS builds on a previous dataset, A Comprehensive List of Non-Native Species Established in Three Major Regions of the U.S.: Version 3.0 (Simpson et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.5066/p9e5k160). There are 15,264 records in the master list and 12,981 unique scientific names. The list is derived from 5,951 authoritative sources, was reviewed by or based on input from 30 invasive species scientists, and continues to be updated. Publication of version 2.0 of the US-RIIS is anticipated (but not guaranteed) in approximately 12 months. Many thanks to these additional Reviewers/Contributors: Alexander Salazar, Miami University, Ohio; Alma Solis, Smithsonian Institution; Andrew P. Landsman, National Park Service; Bethany Bradley, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Bruce Cutler, University of Kansas; Cayla Morningstar, USGS-NAS; Chris Taliga, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Connor Davidson Crouch, Northern Arizona University; Danielle Froelich, SWCA Environmental Consultants; Darrell Ubick, Cal Academy; Faith Campbell, Center for Invasive Species Prevention; Gerry Moore, USDA-ARS PLANTS database; Matt Bowser, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Matt Neilson, USGS-NAS; Michael Gates, USDA-ARS; Nancy Khan, Smithsonian Institution; Rachel Neville, Invasive Species Consultant; Roy Van Driesche, University of Massachusetts-Amherst; Shyama Pagad, IUCN Invasive Species Specialists Group; Terry L. Whitworth, Washington State University; Thomas Henry, USDA-ARS; Vickie Brewster, USDA-APHIS; Warren Wagner, Smithsonian Institution. Our sincere apologies to the many contributors whom we may not have mentioned. We appreciate your assistance improving the quality of this dataset.