First record of armored catfish, Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Actinopterygii, Siluriformes, Loricariidae), in the central west area of Calakmul Forest (southern Mexico)

Armored catfishes of the genus Pterygoplichthys are naturally distributed in South America, two of their species are exotic and invasive in Mexico and have been widely reported, especially in the southeast. In this work, we report for the first time the presence of Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, 1855) in the Noh, Chama, and Chan Laguna hydrological system. A specimen of P. pardalis was captured in the Chan Laguna area on 9 December 2024. Further research is needed to understand the dispersal pathways of this type of fish, as well as its potential effects on native fish populations and local fisheries implications.