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Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

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Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Héctor Espinosa-Pérez* and Montserrat Ramírez

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Biología, Departamento de Zoología: Colección Nacional de Peces, Ciudad
Universitaria, 3er Circuito Exterior s/n 04510 Mexico City, D.F., México
* Corresponding author. E-mail: hector@unam.mx

Abstract: This paper presents a list of the exotic fish abundance and distribution are significantly greater
species introduced in Mexican aquatic systems. This than when the species was first introduced. Although
list is the result of the systematized information con- the term is widely used, there is no clear definition to
tained in several databases of ichthyological collections designate a species as invasive, as there is some subjec-
around the world and different publications. A total of tivity in its use (Wittenberg et al. 2001). For practical
104 species were found, distributed in 19 families and purposes, this paper defines invasive fish as non-native
51 genera. The most species-rich were Cyprinidae with species that, once introduced to a water system, its
22 species, Poeciliidae (19 species), Cichlidae (15 species) reproductive success allows it to establish and signifi-
and Centrarchidae (13 species). A map and an electronic cantly increase its distribution. This contribution aims
database were created based on the knowledge of the to update the list of invasive species of Contreras-
species, showing the known introductions of exotic fish- Balderas (2008), and includes a list of invasive species
es in the country. The information was obtained from and their effects on introduction environments. An
a database stored in the Colección Nacional de Peces interactive database, stored electronically in the Colec-
IBUNAM, which can be accessed online. This study has ción Nacional de Peces of Instituto de Biología UNAM,
a high importance for the knowledge of the exotic fish which can be consulted online.
fauna of Mexico and its current status.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Key words: exotic fishes, Mexico, databases, electronic Records of exotic fish caught in seas, rivers, lakes,
map, introductions ponds, reservoirs and streams were obtained from the
following database: Colección Nacional de Peces del
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma
INTRODUCTION de Mexico (CNPE-IBUNAM), Centro de Investigaciones
Fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates, and Biológicas del Noroeste (CIBNOR), Colección Icti-
freshwater fish are especially considered as one of the ológica de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California
most seriously threatened animal groups, because of the (CI-UABC), Departamento de Investigaciones Cientí-
introduction of exotic species (non-native), it means, ficas de la Universidad de Sonora (DICTUS-USON),
species that do not belong naturally to an aquatic system Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, (ANSP),
(CONABIO 2008). These species cause damage to ecosys- Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa (CMNFI), Cornell
tems by the deterioration of the water body, and strong University, Vertebrate Collections, Ithaca (CUMV), Uni-
effects on native communities in which they are inserted versity of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History,
(Contreras-Balderas 1999). The introduction pathways Florida (UF), Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
of fish and other organisms may be deliberately, for pur- (FMNH), Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas,
poses of aquaculture, sport fishing, biological control or Lawrence (KU), Michigan State University Museum
protection of species and forage, or accidentally includ- (MSUM), Texas A&M University, Texas Cooperative
ing leakage of individuals from farms, discharge ballast Wildlife Collection, (TCWC), Tulane University, School
water, hydrological systems channeling and the release of Science and Engineering, Department of Ecology
of species used as bait in a different system from where and Evolutionary Biology, New Orleans, (TU), Univer-
they were collected (Gozlan et al. 2010). sidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Escuela Nacional de
Frequently, introduced or exotic species are mistaken Ciencias Biológicas (UANL), University of Michigan,
as invasive species, the latter considered as those whose Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor, Michigan (UMMZ)

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 Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

and Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (USNM). show the records of introduced fish species reported
A great number of the records (3478) were taken from by Contreras-B and Escalante-C (1984) and Contreras-
the database CONABIO recorded by Contreras-Balderas Balderas (1999). The localities in which the introduced
(2008) and from the records obtained online from public species were observed or collected, as well as the num-
and international databases such as Global Biodiversity ber of records by locality of the selected species are also
Information Facility (GBIF) and the FishNet data portal shown.
(FishNet2.net), which gather numerous references of Lepisosteidae: Although four species of this family
various species throughout the world. Literature and are native to Mexico and North America, from Canada
faunal lists were also reviewed, such as Ruiz-Campos et to Nicaragua, at least Lepisosteus osseus (Linnaeus,
al. (2012), which include records of exotic species in the 1758) is known to be imported from the United States,
peninsula of Baja California, the faunal list Contreras-B where it is stocked for conservation purposes. In Mexi-
and Escalante-C (1984), Contreras-Balderas (1999) or co, stocking of this specie is done for sport-fishing and
Mendoza and Koleff (2014). riverine fishing in Tamaulipas dams (García de León et
A map and an interactive database were done with al. 2005).
all data obtained from the databases. Entries were Clupeidae: Data of introduction or translocation of
standardized, overlapping records were eliminated Dorosoma cepedianum (Lesueur, 1818) and D. petenense
and spelling errors were corrected. Records with accu- (Günter, 1867) in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in the
rate geographical coordinates were used; coordinate north of Mexico are available according to Contreras-B
acquisition of each locality was achieved a posteriori by and Escalante-C (1984). These species are native to the
mapping and matching (less than 10 m in diameter) Atlantic coast, northeast and southeast of Mexico, but
the collection site to a water system. For this purpose have been introduced as forage species for food to other
the online service GEOLocate and Fishnet2 were used, species such as Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides
as well as GIS Google Earth 6.0. Fish nomenclatures (Lacepède, 1802)). Currently there are more records of
were verified according to recent taxonomic revisions, these two species in the northern and southern regions
following the arrangement of Page et al. (2013) and the of the country, but the effects in native populations are
Catalog of Fishes (Eschmeyer and Fong 2014). The list not known.
of introduced and exotic species in Mexico is shown in Chanidae: The species Chanos chanos (Forsskål, 1775)
Table 1, with their native distribution the area of occur- was introduced in America by the end of the last century
rence in Mexico including known distributions and in the San Francisco estuary, United States of America,
samples of collection, the causes of the introduction, where according to Castro-Aguirre et al. (1999) it does
the current status of invasion and the catalog number not occur. Its current distribution extends from the
of the specimens deposited in fish collections. The spe- southwestern coast of Baja California Sur and the Gulf
cies are listed in four categories: exotic, introduced, of California to Panama and Galapagos Islands, and in
invasive and required to verify. “Exotic” includes for- lagoons of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Guerrero and Chi-
eign species sensu stricto, those that comes from other apas, in Mexico. This species is native to the Red Sea and
countries. “Introduced” refers to species that have the Indian Ocean.
been introduced in a water system by anthropogenic Cyprinidae: Twenty-two species of this family have
purposes, such as aquaculture, and those species that been recorded as non-native, introduced on Mexican
were translocated due to sport fishing, bait, or reintro- water bodies, many of them are translocations or
duced for conservation purposes. “Invasive” refers, as unverified records of Mexican species in other systems.
in the introduction, to those species that have estab- Among them are: Algansea lacustris Steindachner, 1895,
lished and are widely distributed in different water introduced in many aquatic systems in central Mexico.
bodies of Mexico. “Requires verification” concerns to It is unknown whether the species is established or
those species not deposited in a scientific collection, as not, but there is suspicion that it has hybridized with
M. anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842). This category also other species of the genus (Escalante and Contreras
includes those species whose distribution overlaps 1985). Cyprinella lutrensis (Baird & Girard, 1853) was
their native distribution. documented by Contreras-Balderas et al. (2008) as
introduced, and mentioned it in multiple localities in
RESULTS the north. Ruiz-Campos et al. (2012) suggested the
Nineteen families, 59 genera and 104 species of exotic species to be probably responsible of the decline of the
fish have been introduced in the Mexican water systems. Desert Pupfish Cyprinodon macularius Baird & Girard,
An analysis of the families of all species reported is 1853. Other species such as Gila bicolor (Girard, 1856),
presented below. The database and electronic map pre- G. modesta (Garman, 1881) and G. orcutti (Eigenmann
sented in this work can be consulted online using the & Eigenmann, 1890) natives from the United States
link http://unibio.unam.mx/peces_exoticos-war/, and were documented by Contreras-B and Escalante-C

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 Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

(1984) in Baja California, but these species were not it was introduced in the sixties into the channels of
found by Ruiz-Campos et al. (2012). Campostoma Chapingo, State of Mexico, due to its potential for aqua-
anomalum (Rafinesque, 1820), Macrhybopsis aestivalis culture. It is apparently not established due to water
(Girard, 1856), Notropis chihuahua Woolman, 1892, N. pollution and loss of habitat in the region (Contreras-B
amabilis (Girard, 1856), Pimephales promelas Rafin- and Escalante-C 1984).
esque, 1820 and P. vigilax (Baird & Girard, 1853) were Loricariidae: Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber,
also documented as introduced species, possibly used 1991), P. multiradiatus (Hancock, 1828) and P. pardalis
as bait by fishermen, but no recent records was found (Castelnau, 1855) have been recorded in Mexican fresh-
(Contreras-Balderas, 1999). Notemigonus crysoleucas water environments and were apparently introduced
(Mitchill, 1814) inhabits waters in the Rio Grande due to releases from farms or aquariums (Gozlan et al.
basin, mainly in Tamaulipas. The only two records from 2010). These fishes were reported in Mexico since 1995
Lee et al. (1980) on the coast between California and in Presa Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Michoacán and recently
Arizona are not enough to conclude that the species is Wakida-Kusunoki et al. (2007) mentioned that they are
established. The remaining 11 species of Cyprinidae are distributed in Campeche, Chiapas and other localities
exotic to the country, naturally from India, Sri Lanka of central and western Mexico. Although according to
and China. Two of these species: Pethia conchonius Mendoza et al. (2008) the Pterygoplichthys specimens
(Hamilton, 1822) and Puntius titteya (Deraniyagala, found in Mexico may represent a complex of six species
1929) were introduced for ornamental purposes and that have not been adequately addressed. Espinosa et al.
their status is unknown, although Contreras-B and (2011) show how to diagnose two of these species from
Escalante-C (1984) mentioned them as probably estab- Chiapas. From 1995 to date, this group has been fully
lished in Nuevo Leon (northern Mexico), but no recent established and expanded their distribution in Mexican
record has confirmed this information. However, a rivers and reservoirs.
new record of P. conchonius was recently found in a dam Ictaluridae: Five species of this family have been
in Guerrero (southern Mexico) and the specimen was introduced in Mexican water systems for aquaculture.
deposited with the catalog number in CNPE-IBUNAM Ictalurus furcatus (Valenciennes, 1840) is distributed
20010. The other exotic cyprinids were introduced in the Atlantic coastal drainages from the Mississippi
mainly by accidental releases of aquaculture (Ibáñez River to Guatemala, and also documented in the Pacific,
et al. 2011) and are invading several water bodies in the Yaqui River and in the peninsula of Baja Califor-
in the country. Species such as Abramis brama (Lin- nia, according to Contreras-B and Escalante-C (1984). I.
naeus, 1758) and Megalobrama amblycephala Yih, 1955 punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818) is distributed in northern
were introduced in the State of Mexico and their cur- Mexico in the Atlantic slope, and has been introduced
rent distribution is unknown. Cyprinus carpio and its due to its intensive farming in many parts of the world.
subspecies or varieties: Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, In Mexico it is known to occur in dams, lakes and riv-
1758), Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844), ers of central and northern Mexico, where it is fully
Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844) are established. Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque, 1820) and A.
considered invasive species with a wide distribution natalis (Lesueur, 1819) do not occur naturally in Mex-
in several water bodies, two new specimens of Hypo- ico, but they have been introduced in many rivers for
phthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, 1845) was recently aquaculture, where they have established according to
captured in 2002 in the Laguna de San Antonio Rayon, Contreras-B and Escalante-C (1984) who reported them
Tamaulipas, whereas Mylopharyngodon piceus (Richard- in different localities of the Rio Pánuco, Lerma-Santiago
son, 1846), was reported by Contreras-Balderas (1999) and Balsas. Pylodictis olivaris (Rafinesque, 1818) is now
as a farmed species without currently new records. established in the lower Rio Colorado basin, including
Catostomidae: Carpiodes carpio (Rafinesque, 1820) parts of Baja California and Sonora (Miller et al. 2009).
was reported by Hendrickson et al. (1980) in Presa The only voucher specimen is from northwestern Mexi-
Novillo where it was extremely common in shallow areas co was captured in the junction of the Rio Colorado and
in the early seventies. Its distribution is from Missis- Rio Hardy (Ruiz-Campos et al. 2012).
sippi basin from Pennsylvania to Montana, south to the Salmonidae: There is no consensus about the number
Gulf of Mexico drainages from the Mississippi River to of undescribed native species of this family in Mexico
Mexico (Contreras-B and Escalante-C 1984), therefore (Hendrickson et al. 2002). The introduction of Salveli-
could be considered as translocated species, neverthe- nus fontinalis (Mitchill, 1814) in the sixties in the State
less its status is currently unknown. of Mexico was unsuccessful, and there are no recent
Cobitidae: Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) records of its establishment. Oncorhynchus mykiss
from Asia is considered of high risk to the native Mexico (Walbaum, 1792) was introduced in several parts of the
species, for its easy adaptation to almost any aquatic country, although part of its native distribution is in the
environment and its high rate of depredation. In Mexico northwest of Mexico (Miller et al. 2009). This species is

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 Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

fully established in many mountain areas of the coun- There are other five species of this genus (G. hurtadoi
try. Currently, the presence of the Brown Trout, Salmo Hubbs & Springer, 1957; G. panuco Hubbs, 1926; G. regani
trutta Linnaeus, 1758 is known only from several farms Hubbs, 1926; G. senilis Girard, 1859 and G. speciosa Girard,
in states of Mexico and Puebla. 1859) which have been translocated due to aquaculture
Atherinopsidae: Nine species of this family were or accidental release; in most cases the current status
translocated and introduced in different water environ- of invasion is unknown. Also it was found six species
ments in the country, mainly to serve as fodder for other of the genus Poecilia (P. butleri Jordan, 1889; P. latipinna
introduced species such as bass, catfish and trout. Only (Lesueur, 1821); P. latipunctata Meek, 1904; P. mexicana
in some cases, Chirostoma sphyraena Boulenger, 1900 Steindachner, 1863 and P. reticulata Peters, 1860) five
and C. estor Jordan, 1880 are used as food. These intro- of this species are native, and have been translocated
ductions caused great inconvenience to taxonomists, from one system to another, mainly by aquarists and by
who nowadays face several problems to determine government nutrition programs. Whereas the guppy (P.
species such as hybridizations. Other species, such as reticulata Peters, 1859), is a native species from Guyana
C. aculeatum Barbour, 1973, C. consocium, C. grandocule and Venezuela used as aquarium fish, is the most inva-
(Steindachner, 1894), C. jordani Woolman, 1894, C. labar- sive exotic fish in the freshwater bodies of the central
cae Meek, 1902, Membras martinica (Valenciennes, 1835) and southern Baja California Peninsula (Ruiz-Campos
and Menidia beryllina (Cope, 1867) were introduced into et al. 2012). Heterandria bimaculata (Heckel, 1848) is
water bodies in northern Mexico with unknown results originally restricted to the Atlantic slope, but currently
of such introductions (Miller et al. 2009). it can be found in several localities in the Pacific slope,
Fundulidae: Two species of this family, Fundulus mainly in the Balsas River basin the cause of its intro-
zebrinus Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 and F. grandis Baird & duction is unknown although some authors mention
Girard, 1853 have been recorded as introduced. Fundulus aquaculture or accidental releases as probable causes
zebrinus was reported by Contreras-B and Escalante- (Contreras-Balderas 1999, Miller et al. 2009). The same
C (1984) in three localities in the middle Rio Grande was observed for Poeciliopsis gracilis (Heckel, 1848),
whereas Fundulus grandis is distributed in Veracruz and but the limits of its dispersion are known, although
Tamaulipas, although in Nuevo Leon and Chihuahua it is thought to have hybridized with other species of
could be present according Contreras-Balderas (2008). the genus (Courtenay and Maffe, 1989). Seven species
Poeciliidae: Nineteen species are considered intro- of the genus Xiphophorus (X. couchianus (Girard, 1859);
duced or translocated. Gambusia affinis (Baird & Girard, X. gordoni Miller & Minckley, 1963; X. hellerii Heckel,
1853) is native from Mississippi River basin from central 1848; X. maculatus (Günther, 1866); X. meyeri Schartl &
Indiana and Illinois, south through the Golfo de México Schröder, 1988 and X. variatus (Meek, 1904)) are spread
drainages and northern Veracruz (Page and Burr 1991). in the water systems of the country due to aquarists, or
It was introduced in different system waters since 1931 have been transported with cichlids at different sites of
as part of a mosquito control program. The first place the country, as well as with Astyanax and Poecilia species
where it was reported is in Arroyo San José, Baja Cali- (Espinosa et al. 2011).
fornia by Miller and Hubbs (1954), later Ruiz-Campos et Cyprinodontidae: Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède,
al. (2012) report it again in many localities of Baja Cali- 1803 was reported by Contreras-Balderas (2008) as an
fornia, also it has been found mostly in some northern introduced fish. However its natural distribution is
states of the country (Figure 1). between the towns showed in Table 1. Hence, more sur-
veys are necessary to assess this information.
Scorpaenidae: Only one species of this family, Pterois
volitans (Linnaeus, 1758), native to the Indo-Pacific
region, has been introduced into Mexican marine waters
and are known to have invaded the Caribbean in Florida,
where it was originally introduced. This species is a sev-
eral threat to Caribbean reefs, where it has no natural
competitors or predators (Betancur et al. 2011).
Moronidae: The two species of this family recorded in
Mexican water bodies are Morone chrysops (Rafinesque,
1820) and M. saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792), both native
to the Atlantic coast of the United States belonging
to the wildlife of the template American Atlantic. M.
chrysops is native from Mississippi River and Ohio val-
Figure 1. Traslocated distribution of Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia leys. Contreras-B and Escalante-C (1984) reported it in
affinis) in northern country due to mosquito control programs. lower and middle Rio Grande also in Rio San Juan to Dr.

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 Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Coss, Nuevo Leon, with aquaculture purpose and sport country. These are the cases of Cichlasoma urophthal-
fishing, whereas M. saxatilis is natural from the coastal mus and Petenia splendida, spread further their natural
drainages and littoral marine waters of the Atlantic, range of distribution in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Herichthys
from St. Lawrence River in Canada to the south of St. cyanoguttatus was registered as traslocated by Contre-
Johns River in Florida (Ross 2002). Contreras-Balderas ras-Balderas (2008), in different waters bodies. Some
(1999) reported it in Rio Bravo and mentioned as causes authors mentioned that this species has already hybrid-
of its introduction the aquaculture and sport fishing, ized with a native closely related species in Cuatro
and Mendoza et al. (2011) mentioned that this species Cienegas, Coahuila, however this has not been well doc-
are causing a several decrease in the native fishes of umented (Husley et al. 2003). Parachromis managuensis
Laguna Madre because it is a voracious depredator. (Günther, 1867) and Parachromis motaguensis (Günther,
Centrarchidae: Even though there are four native 1867) are native species from Central America and were
species in this family particularly from the Rio Grande probably introduced to water bodies in the southeastern
basin (Lepomis cyanellus Rafinesque, 1819; L. macrochi- Mexico, and are now fully established in the Grijalva-
rus Rafinesque, 1819; L. megalotis Rafinesque, 1819 and Usumacinta basin (Miller et al. 2009). Amatitlania
Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède, 1802)), Sunfishes have nigrofasciata (Günther, 1867) is a native species from
been introduced in the north of the country for different Central America including the Pacific slope from Rio
reasons, but mainly as part of aquaculture projects. All Sucio and it is considered ornamental. Figure 2 shows
introduced Centrarchidae species are known to be estab- some records of this fish in Mexico. It is established and
lished, but the range of their distribution is unknown. widely disseminated throughout the country mainly in
This is the case of the two species of Pomoxis (P. annularis the center and southeast of Mexico (Mendoza and Koleff
Rafinesque, 1818 and P. nigromaculatus (Lesueur, 1829), 2014). Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner, 1864), O. mos-
it is known that in Durango both species are completely sambicus (Peters, 1852), O. niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758),
dominant in rivers and dams causing several damages Tilapia rendalli (Boulenger, 1897), T. zillii (Gervais, 1848)
on the native fishes (Garcia de León et al. 2005). and Hemichromis guttatus Günther, 1862 are African spe-
Sparidae: In 2004, the transnational company Bio- cies introduced for aquaculture in Mexico. These species
tecmar S.A. received permission from the Mexican have been progressively introduced in many freshwater
environmental authorities to establish a commercial bodies of the country, both natural and artificial for
culture of seabass in Bahía de La Paz, on the southwest- aquaculture and commercial catch. Its high capacity of
ern side of the Gulf of California. In September 2005, competition for resources like space and food has caused
instead of introducing seabass, the company introduced the displacement of native fishes as the case of Cyprin-
odon macularius Baird & Girard, 1853, in the lower Rio
at least 300,000 individuals of the gilt-head seabream
Colorado basin of Baja California and Sonora (Varela-
Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758. On 3 October 2007 an
Romero et al. 2003).
individual of S. aurata was captured in the wild during
experimental fishing work in the Bahía de La Paz in the
Golfo de California. This fish has invaded large areas of
the Mar de Cortes due to its escape (Balart et al. 2008).
Sciaenidae: Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque, 1819
was reported as introduced by Contreras-Balderas
(2008).Its native distribution is along the Atlantic
slope drainages in Mexico, for this reason the records
in Coahuila and Nuevo Leon are considered to repre-
sent traslocation. Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
is a marine-estuarine species, distributed in the coastal
area from Massachusetts to Veracruz, introduced in the
Laguna of Términos in Campeche for fishing purposes.
The establishment of the species in Laguna of Términos
is unknown (Wakida-Kusunoki and Santos-Valencia
2008). Figure 2. Map of different records of Amatitlania nigrofasciata observed
Cichlidae: Within this family there are more than 40 or captured in Mexico.

native species in Mexico, of which Cichlasoma uroph-

thalmus (Günther, 1862), Herichthys cyanoguttatus Baird DISCUSSION
& Girard, 1854, Petenia splendida Günther, 1862, Rocio In this work we reported 104 introduced fish spe-
octofasciata (Regan, 1903), Thorichthys ellioti Meek, 1904 cies in Mexico, grouped into 19 families and 59 genera,
and Theraps pearsei (Hubbs, 1936) have been mentioned representing 3.76% of the fish diversity of the country
as introduced or translocated to several localities of the according to Espinosa-Perez (2014). Of 104 introduced

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 Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

species, 62% are established with a wide distribution in A contribution of this work is the inclusion of the
the country, such as the Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Milkfish (Chanos chanos (Forsskål, 1775)) to the list
and the Bream (Oreochromis and Tilapia), herein con- of introduced species of Mexico. This fish is a native
sidered invasive. Forty two species are foreign, mainly species from the Indo-Pacific of the family Chanidae
natural from Asian, European and North American, and even though it was previously reported by Castro-
and the remaining is considered translocated species. Aguirre et al. (1999), it has not been considered officially
Translocation is defined here as a native species from as an introduced species in Mexico. According to this
a determined aquatic system in Mexico that has been author, this fish was introduced to North America by
introduced in other localities, such as some cichlids and the end of the last century in the San Francisco estuary
poecilids (Theraps pearsei, Rocio octofasciata, Amatitlania for aquaculture purposes or accidental releases from the
nigrofasciata, and some species of the genera Poecilia and farms in the United States. The current inclusion of this
Gambusia). species on the list is supported by specimens collected in
Furthermore 20% of the species reported in this work coasts of Nayarit and deposited in the CNPE-IBUNAM
are species of freshwater environments; this means (Table 1).
that in the case of marine species, there is not enough Another contribution is that we report the presence
information about the introduced species. Only the of the brown trout (Salmo trutta) in hatcheries of the
Lionfish (Pterois volitans Linnaeus, 1758) is mentioned state of Mexico and Puebla. This species had only been
to be widely spread in the coasts of the Golfo de Mexico reported by Hendrickson in the early 1980s near Yaqui
and the Caribbean. There are many studies about the River in the north of Mexico, and was not mentioned in
behavior, development, habits, genetic, effects on the any other publication. The specimens in which we base
environment in which it is introduced or impact on our report were deposited in the Colección Nacional de
native species about this fish. Currently its eradication Peces of the Instituto de Biología of UNAM with catalog
is considered impossible or nearly impossible due to the number 18454 CNPE-IBUNAM.
absence of natural depredators to control the population The purpose of the electronic resources is to be able
of this species. One alternative is the implementation to follow up on the current situation of these species
in the Mexican food of this fish, some institutions like through constant update of the data. The update is pos-
Comision Nacional de Areas Protegidas (CONANP), sible with the help of researchers and people interested
Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales in fish introductions, and the contact with the Colección
(SEMARNAT) and the Veracruz government compiled Nacional de Peces of the Instituto de Biología UNAM in
a recipe book with the purpose of promoting the con- Mexico through the e-mail cnpe@ib.unam.mx. Data sent
sumption of this fish in the local people and tourists. in for inclusion in the database must include the local-
Of the total species reported in this work, 31.4% is rep- ity or the place where the fish was seen or collected, the
resented mainly by four freshwater fishes, two of them exact geographic coordinates, and a clear photograph
Asian natives (Cyprinus carpio and Oreochromis niloticus). showing the morphological characteristic of the fish.
The Common carp (C. carpio) represent 10.68%, while With this information we will be able to determine if it
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) 7.71%, and Nile is a new record or not.
Tilapia (O. niloticus) 7.61% and the Shortfin Molly (Poe-
cilia mexicana) 5.4%. The first one is species used within ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
aquaculture purpose, it was found that this is the main We thank C. Lambarri and Armando Martínez, who
cause of introduction (29%), moreover there are species helped to improve the map and the text, and J. Jiménez
as the two others (M. salmoides and P. mexicana) that are and U. Melo that supported the construction of the web-
used as ornamental fish or sport fishing purpose, these site to the database and CONABIO that support with
causes represent 15% and 12% respectively. These are the general information about the list of introduced
not the only introduction causes, it was found that the species. We also thank UNIBIO who helped the elabora-
introduction of foraging species and accidental release tion of map and the electronic database. To all collectors
also represents the 12%. Only four causes represent less and friends of the Institute of Biology CNPE, that has
than 10% among them are reintroduction, it was the case helped to determine and collect specimens and data. To
of Gila modesta (Garman,1881); with protection purpose the curators of ichthyological collections that has made
like the case of G. orcuttii (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, available their databases. The editor and two reviewers
1890) and Siphateles bicolor (Girard, 1856) while Cteno- who helped with the improvement of the manuscript.
pharyngodon idella and Gambusia affinis as mentioned
were introduced with bait purpose (Contreras-Balderas LITERATURE CITED
Balart, E.F., J.C. Pérez-Urbiola, L. Campos-Dávila, M. Monteforte
1999). There is no information about the introduction of and A. Ortega-Rubio. 2008. On the first record of a potentially
the remaining species. Therefore, they were grouped in harmful fish, Sparus aurata in the Gulf of California. Biological
the category “require to verify” on Table 1. invasions 11(3): 547–550 doi.: 10.1007/s10530-008-9269-3

Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl 6 Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627

 Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Betancur, R., A. Hines, A. Acero, G. Ortí, A.E. Wilbur and W. on 22 June 2013.
Freshwater. 2011. Reconstructing the lionfish invasion into Hendrickson D.A., W.L. Minckley, R. R. Miller, D.J. Siebert and P.H.
Greater Caribbean biogeography. Journal of Biogeography 38(7): Minckley. 1980. Fishes of the Rio Yaqui basin, Mexico and United
1281–1293. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02496.x States. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Sciences
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1999. Ictiofauna estuarina, lagunar y vicaria de México. Mexico Hendrickson D.A., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, W. Forbes, J.R.
City: Limusa. 705 pp. Tomelleri, R.L. Mayden J.L. Nielsen, B. Jensen, G. Ruiz-Campos,
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actual de la Biodiversidad. México: CONABIO. 809 pp. Mexican native trouts: a review of their history and current
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known impacts of exotic fishes in Mexico; pp. 102–130, in: W.R. Fisheries 12(2): 273-316 doi: 10.1023/A:1025062415188
Courtenay and J.R. Stauffer (eds.). Distribution, Biology and Hulsey, C.D., García-de-León, F.J., Sánchez-Johnson, Y.,
management of exotic fishes. Baltimore: The John Hopkins Hendrickson, D.A. and T.J. Near. 2004 Temporal diversification
University Press. of Mesoamerican cichlid fishes across a major biogeographic
Contreras-Balderas, S. 1999. Annotated checklist of introduced boundary. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31(2): 754–764
invasive fishes in México, with examples of some recent doi:. 10.1016/j.ympev.2003.08.024
introductions; pp. 31–52; in: R. Claudi and J.H. Leach (eds.). Ibáñez, A.L., H. Espinosa-Pérez and J.L. García-Calderón. 2011.
Nonindigenous freshwater organisms: vectors, biology, and Datos recientes de la distribución de la siembra de especies
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Contreras-Balderas, S. 2008. Especies de peces introducidas en mexicanas. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 82(3): 904-914
aguas continentales de México. Catálogo manuscrito Base de doi: http://revistas.unam.mx/index.php/bio/article/view/27846
datos SNIB-CONABIO, Proyecto AE002, México. Accessed at Lee, D.S . C.R Gilbert, C.H. Hoccut, R. E. Jenkins, D.E. McAlister, and
http://www.conabio.gob.mx/invasoras/index.php/Especies_ J.R. Stauffer, Jr (eds.). 1980. Atlas of North American Freshwater
invasoras_-_Peces, August 2012. Fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History,
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E. Díaz-Pardo, T. Contreras-McBeath, M. Medina-Soto, L. Mendoza, R., S. Contreras, C. Ramírez, P. Koleff, P. Álvarez, and V.
Zambrano-González, A. Varela-Romero, R. Mendoza-Alfaro, Aguilar. 2008. Los Peces Diablo. Biocenosis 23(2): 16-19
C. Ramírez-Martínez, M.A. Leija-Tristán, P. Almada-Villela, Mendoza, R., N. Arreaga, J.E. Hérnandez, V. Segovia, I. Jasso and D.
D.A. Hendrickson and J. Lyons. 2008. Freshwater fishes and Pérez. 2011. Aquatic invasive species in the Río Bravo/ Laguna
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Ecosystem Health & Management 11(3): 246–256. doi: Montreal.Canadá.161pp
10.1080/14634980802319986 Mendoza, R. and P. Koleff. 2014. Especies acuáticas invasoras en
Courtenay W.R. and G.K. Meffe. 1989. Small fishes in strange places México. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la
a review of introduced Poeciliids; pp. 319-331 in G. Meffe and F. F. Biodiversidad, México. 560 pp
Snelson, Jr., (eds). Ecology and Evolution of Livebearing Fishes: Miller, R. R., and C.L. Hubbs. 1954 An erroneous record of the
Poeciliidae. New Jersey, Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs. California killifish, Fundulus parvipinnis, from Cabo San Lucas,
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República Mexicana. Ciencias del Mar 2(7): 18-24. Peces dulceacuícolas de Mexico. Comisión Nacional para el
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calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp, Version 2012. Electronic Database accessible at http://www.
12 December 2014. fishnet2.org. Captured on 22 June 2012.
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de México. III. Instituto de Biología, UNAM., México City. 99 pp. 432 pp.
http://vivanatura.org/peces%20dulceacuicolas.txt Page, L.M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C.R. Gilbert, R.N Lea,
Espinosa-Pérez H., X. Valencia-Díaz and R. Rodiles–Hernández. N.E. Mandrak, R.L. Mayden and J.S. Nelson. 2013. Common and
2011. Peces dulceacuícolas de Chiapas; pp. 401-475 in N.F. Álvarez Scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada and
(ed.). Chiapas: Estudios sobre su diversidad biológica. México Mexico. Bethesda Maryland, American Fisheries Society, Special
City: Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Publication 34, 383 pp.
México. Ruiz-Campos G, S. Contreras-Balderas, A. Andreu-Soler, A.
Espinosa-Pérez, H.S. 2014. Biodiversidad de peces en Mexico. Revista Varela-Romero and E. Campos. 2012. Lista comentada sobre la
Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 84: 1–10.doi:10.7550/rmb.32264 distribución de peces dulceacuícolas exóticos de la península
García de León F.J., D. Gutiérrez Tirado, D. Hendrickson and de Baja California, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad
H. Espinosa Pérez. 2005. Fish of the continental waters of 83(1): 216-234 http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?pid=S1870-
Tamaulipas: Diversity and conservation status; pp. 138-166 34532012000100025&script=sci_arttext
in J.L. Carton, G. Ceballos and R.S. Felger (eds). Biodiversity, Ross, S. T. 2002. The Inland Fishes of Mississippi. University Press of
ecosystem and conservation in Northern Mexico. New York City: Mississippi, Jackson. 736 pp.
Oxford University Press. Salgado-Maldonado G. and R. Pineda-López. 2003. The Asian fish
Gozlan, R.E, J.R Britton, I Cowx and G.H Copp. 2010. Current tapeworm Bothriocephalus acheilognathi: a potential threat to
knowledge on non-native freshwater fish introductions. native freshwater fish species in Mexico. Biological Invasions
Journal of Fish Biology 76 (4) 751-786. doi: 10.1111/j.1095- 5(3): 261-268. doi: 10.1023/A:1026189331093
8649.2010.02566.x Varela-Romero, A., G. Ruiz-Campos, L. M. Yépiz-Velázquez and J.
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Electronic Database accessible at http://www gbif org/. Captured status of desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) in the Lower

Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl 7 Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627

 Accepted: March 2015
Received: August 2014

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Oxon, UK: CAB International. 228 pp.

Editorial responsibility: Manoela Marinho

arttext&pid=S0188-88972008000300010&lng=es.
Fisheries 12:157-165. doi:10.1023/A:1025006920052

144. doi: 10.1894/0038-4909(2007)52[141:ASCPPC]2.0.CO;2

map and the electronic database. HE-P contributed with the text.
Wakida-Kusunoki, A.T., R. Ruiz-Carus and E.A. Del Ángel. 2007.

Author’s contribution statement: MR searched different

of best prevention and Manegement practices. Wellingford,
18(3):261-264. http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_
registro de corvineta ocelada Sciaenops ocellatus Linnaeus, 1766

analysis, wrote the text, and collaborated with the UNIBIO on the
(Perciformes: Sciaenidae) en Campeche, Mexico. Hidrobiológica
Wakida-Kusunoki A.T. and J. Santos-Valencia. 2008. Primer
1855) (Loricariidae), another exotic species established in
Amazon sailfin catfish, Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau,

databases, made the figures and the Table 1, made the qualitative
Wittenberg R. and M.J. Cock. 2001. Invasive alien species. A toolkit
southeastern Mexico. The Southwestern Naturalist 52(1): 141-
Colorado River basin, Mexico. Reviews in Fish Biology and

8
Table 1. List of introduced and exotic species in Mexico and their distribution. Abbreviations of the country of native distribution: Afr- Africa; AS- Southamerica; Ar- Argentina; At -Atlantic; AtW- West Atlantic;
Aus- Australia; BIZ- Belice; Bra- Brazil; Can- Canada, CRC- Costa Rica; USA- United States of America; EUR- Europe; EuAs- Eurasia; ESA- El Salvador; Gua- Guatemala; GM- Golfo de México; Hon- Honduras; Mex- México;
NA- Northamerica; Nic- Nicaragua; OI- Ocean Indic; Pan- Panama; Ven- Venezuela. Abbreviations of names the states in Mexico: (BC) Baja California, (BCS) Baja California Sur, (Son) Sonora, (Chih) Chiahuahua, (Sin)
Sinaloa, (Dgo)Durango, ( Coh) Coahuila, (NL) Nuevo León, (Zac) Zacatecas, (SLP) San Luis Potosí, (Tamp) Tamaulipas, (Nay) Nayarit, ( Ags) Aguascalientes, (Jal) Jalisco, (Gto) Guanajuato, (Qro) Queretaro, (Hgo) Hidalgo,
(Col) Colima, (Mich) Michoacan, (Mex) Mexico, (Mor) Morelos, (Tlaxc)Tlaxcala, (Pue) Puebla, (Ver) Veracruz, (Gro) Guerrero, (Oax) Oaxaca, (Chis) Chiapas, (Tab) Tabasco, (Camp) Campeche, (Yuc) Yucatán, (QR) Quintana
Roo, (DF) Distrito Federal. Abbreviations of the introduction causes: Com- commercial, SRV- will verify, Or- ornamental, Ac- Accidental, AQ- aquaculture; Dp, sport fish; NR- no record, DSC- unknown, Re- reintroduced
Abbreviations of the invasion status in the country: e- “exotic”, SRV- “Requieres verification”; I-introduced Ts-traslocated, I/SRV- introduced but is necessary to verify .

Distribution Current
Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Familya Scientific name Common name nativeb Recordsc Caused status e Catalog number Resource consulted
Lepisosteidae Lepisosteus osseus (Linnaeus, 1758) Lognose Gar, catán Can, USA, Tam. Dp Ts
aguja Mex
Clupeidae* Dorosoma cepedianum (Lesueur, 1818) Gizzard Shad USA and Mex Coh., Chih., NL., Oax., Qro., Tab., Tam., Ver. For y Ac SRV CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-Balderas,
sardina molleja 10612 (1999)
Clupeidae* Dorosoma petenense (Günter, 1867) Threadfin Shad NA BC., Camp., Chis., Coh., Chih., NL., Oax., QR., SLP., Son., For y Ac Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 5707 Contreras- Contreras-B
sardina maya Tab., Tam., Ver. and Escalante-C (1984)
Chanidae* Chanos chanos (Forsskål 1775) Milkfish Red Sea, Son., Sin., Nay., Oax., Chis., Gro. Com. e CNPE-IBUNAM 5364 Castro-Aguirre et al.
sabalote Indic Ocean 1999
Cyprinidae* Abramis brama (Linnaeus, 1758) Freshwater bream EUR and As NR NR Ts Without available Monks et al. 2005
carpa brama voucher
Cyprinidae * Algansea lacustris Steindachner, 1895 Pátzcuaro Chub Mex Mich Com Ts Without available Contreras- Contreras-B
acumara voucher and Escalante-C (1984)
Continued

Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627

 Table 1. Continued.

Distribution Current
Familya Scientific name Common name nativeb Recordsc Caused status e Catalog number Resource consulted
Cyprinidae * Campostoma anomalum (Rafinesque, Central Stoneroller Can, USA, NL., Tam, Son. Ac SRV CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-Balderas, 1999
1820) rodapiedras del centro Mex 12483
Cyprinidae * Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) Gold Fish China Chih., Dgo., Mex., Pue., Mich., BC., Tam., Coh., SLP., Com e CNPE-IBUNAM 2341 Contreras-Balderas, 2008
carpa dorada Hgo., Qro., Nay., Gto., Jal., Gro., NL., Son., Oax., Mor.,
DF.
Cyprinidae * Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, Grass Carp China Mex, Hgo, Nay., Tab, Son, Chih., Sin., Mich., SLP., Tam., Com and e CNPE-IBUNAM 2048 Contreras-B and
1844) carpa hervibora NL., Coh., Jal., Mor., Pue., Ver., Gto., Oax., Tlax., Or Escalante-C (1984)
Cyprinidae * Cyprinella lutrensis (Baird & Girard, 1853) Red Shiner USA and Mex BC Com Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 5708 Ruiz-Campos 2012
carpita roja

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Cyprinidae * Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758 Common Carp China Gto., Son., Chih., Pue., Mor., Jal., Tam.., Dgo., Tlax., Com and e CNPE-IBUNAM 2325 Contreras-B and
carpa común Mich., Mex., Sin., NL., Gro., Oax., BCS., BC., Coh., Qro., Or Escalante-C (1984)
Hgo., Qro., Gro., Ags., SLP., Zac., Nay.
Cyprinidae * Gila bicolor (Girard, 1856) Tui Chub Texas BC NR I Without available Contreras-B and
carpita colibrí voucher Escalante-C (1984)
Cyprinidae * Gila modesta (Garman, 1881) Saltillo Chub Mex Coh Pr Ts UANL 800 Contreras-Balderas
(1999)
Cyprinidae * Gila orcuttii (Eigenmann & Eigenmann, Arroyo Chub USA BC Pr I/SRV Without available Contreras-B and
1890) carpa arroyo voucher Escalante-C (1984)
Cyprinidae * Hypophthalmichthys molitrix Silver Carp China and Mich., Hgo., Mex., Df Com and I/e CNPE-IBUNAM 2050 Contreras-Balderas
(Valenciennes, 1844) carpa plateada Rusia TR (1999)
Cyprinidae * Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson, Bighead Carp China Hgo NR e Without available Contreras-Balderas
1845) carpa cabezona voucher (1999)

9
Cyprinidae* Macrhybopsis aestivalis (Girard, 1856) Speckled Chub Texas and Chih., Coh., NL., Tam. NR I/SRV TCWC Ichtiology Contreras-Balderas
carpa pecosa Mex 6403.02 (2008)
Cyprinidae Megalobrama amblycephala Yih, 1955 Wuchang China Hgo Com and I/SRV CNPE-IBUNAM 2051 INP (2012)
Bream TR
carpa de Wuchang
Cyprinidae * Mylopharyngodon piceus (Richardson, Black Carp China Mex. Com SRV Without available Contreras-Balderas
1846) carpa negra voucher (1999)
Cyprinidae * Notemigonus crysoleucas (Mitchill, 1814) Golden Shiner Can and USA Mex., Tam.., NL., Com and e UANL 1623 Contreras-Balderas
carpita dorada Ot (1999)
Cyprinidae * Notropis amabilis (Girard, 1856) Texas Shiner Texas and Chih., Coh., NL., Sin., Tam. NR I UANL 7166 Contreras-Balderas
Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

carpita texana Mex (2008)

Cyprinidae * Notropis chihuahua Woolman, 1892 Chihuahua Shiner Texas and Dgo., Coh., Chih. Ac Ts UANL 500 Contreras-Balderas
carpita chihuahuense Mex (1999)
Cyprinidae * Pethia conchonius (Hamilton, 1822) Rosy Barb India NL Com I/SRV UANL 1932 Contreras-B and
dardo rosado Escalante-C (1984)
Cyprinidae * Pimephales promelas Rafinesque, 1820 Fathead Minnow Can y Mex BC., Coh., Son., Chih., Dgo., SLP., Tam.., NL., Hgo Com and Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 5715 Contreras-Balderas
carpita cabezona Ot (1999)
Cyprinidae * Pimephales vigilax (Baird & Girard, 1853) Bullhead minnow USA and Mex Chih Ot Ts UANL 1459 Miller et al.(2009)
carpita cabeza de toro
Cyprinidae * Puntius titteya Deraniyagala, 1929 Cherry Barb Sri Lanka NL Or e Without available Contreras-B and
dardo carmesí voucher Escalante-C (1984)
Catostomidae * Carpiodes carpio (Rafinesque, 1820) River Carpsucker USA and Mex Chih., NL., Qro., Son., Tam. Com SRV USON 0405 Contreras-B and
matalote chato Escalante-C (1984)
Continued

Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627

 Table 1. Continued.

Distribution Current
Familya Scientific name Common name nativeb Recordsc Caused status e Catalog number Resource consulted
Cobitidae Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) Oriental Weather Fish Siberia Mex Com e Without available Contreras-B and
Pez oriental voucher Escalante-C (1984)
Loricariidae * Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber, plecostoma rayado Ven, Bra and Cam, Mich, Tab Or and e CPUM 3602 Sandoval-Huerta et al.
1991) Perú Ac (2012)
Loricariidae * Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus (Hancock, plecostoma del Ar Gua Mors, Gro Or and e Without available Wakida-Kusunoki et al.
1828) Orinoco Ac voucher (2007)
Loricariidae * Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Castelnau, plecostoma del Bra and Perú Cam, Mich, Tab Or and e Without available Wakida-Kusunoki and
1855) Amazonas Ac voucher Amador del Ángel
(2008)

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Ictaluridae * Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque, 1820) Black Bullhead Can, Texas Chih., Son., Coh., Tamp., NL. Com Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 5703 Contreras-B and
Bagre torito negro and Mex Escalante-C (1984)
Ictaluridae * Ameiurus natalis (Lesueur, 1819) Yellow Bullh Can and USA Chih., Son., Coh., BC. Com I/SRV UABC 661 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Torito amarilloead (2012)
Ictaluridae * Ictalurus furcatus (Valenciennes, 1840) Blue Catfish USA and Mex Chih., Tab., Oax., Tam., NL., Ver., QR., Chis., Dgo., Son., Com Ts UANL 591 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Bagre azul Coh., Cam. (2012)
Ictaluridae * Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque, 1818) Channel Catfish Can, USA Chih., Son., Coh., Tamp., NL., Chis., BC. Com Ts USON-0792 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Bagre de canal and Mex (2012)
Ictaluridae * Pylodictis olivaris (Rafinesque, 1818) Flathead Catfish USA and Mex Chih., NL., Tam., Son., BC., Dgo., Coh., Com Ts UABC 318 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Bagre cabeza plana (2012)
Salmonidae * Oncorhynchus mykiss (Jordan, 1892) Rainbow Trout Rusia Son, BC, Mex., Chih., Dgo., BCS., Chis., Gto., Gro., Hgo., Com e CNPE-IBUNAM SEPESCA (1994)
Trucha arcoiris Mich., NL., Oax., Pue. 10633
Salmonidae Salmo trutta Linaeus, 1758 Brown Trout EUR Mex Dp I CNPE-IBUNAM Martínez-Castro pers.

10
Trucha café 18454 comm. 2013
Salmonidae * Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill, 1914) Brook Trout USA Chis, Chih., DF., Mex., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Mich., Mor., Pue., Com I Without available Espinosa et al. (1993)
Trucha de arroyo Qro., SLP., Son., Ver. voucher
Atherinopsidae Chirostoma aculeatum Barbour, 1973 Scowling Silverside Mex Chih., Gto., Jal., Mich., NR Ts
Charal cuchillo
Atherinopsidae Chirostoma consocium Jordan & Hubbs, Ranch Silverside Mex Chih., Dgo., Jal., Mich. NR Ts ENCB-IPN-P4663 Contreras-B and
1919 Charal de rancho Escalante-C (1984)
Atherinopsidae Chirostoma estor Jordan, 1880 Pike Silverside Mex Chih., DF., Jal., Mich., Mor., NL., Pue., Tamp., Ver. NR Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 5587 Escárcega-Rodríguez
Pescado blanco (1999)
Atherinopsidae Chirostoma grandocule (Steindachner, Bigeye Silverside Mex Chih., Coh., DF., Mex., Hgo., Mich., NL., Pue., SLP., Sin., NR Ts ENCB-IPN- P580 Contreras-B and
Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

1894) Charal de lago Ver. Escalante-C (1984)

Atherinopsidae Chirostoma jordani Woolman, 1894 Mesa Silverside Mex Ags., Chih., Coh., Col., DF., Dgo., Mex., Gto., Gro., Hgo., NR Ts CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-Balderas
charale Jal., Mich., Mor., Pue., Qto., QR., Sin., Tam.., Tlax. 10482 (2008)
Atherinopsidae Chirostoma labarcae Meek, 1902 Sharpnose Silverside Mex Chih., Dgo., Gto., Jal., Mich. NR Ts ENCB-IPN-P3921 Contreras-Balderas
Charal de la Barca (2008)
Atherinopsidae * Chirostoma sphyraena Boulenger, 1900 Bigmouth Silverside Mex Chih., Col., Dgo., Hgo., Jal., Mich., Mor., NL Com Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 2708 Contreras-Balderas
Charal barracuda (2008)
Atherinopsidae * Membras martinica (Valenncienes, 1835) Rough Silverside Mex Cam., Coh., NL., QR., Tam.., Ver., Yuc. Ac Ts UANL 2106 Contreras-Balderas
Pejerrey rasposo (1999)
Atherinopsidae Menidia beryllina (Cope, 1867) Inland Silverside USA GM Camp., Chis., Coh., NL., Tab., Tam., Ver., Com Ts CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-B and
Plateadito salado 13137 Escalante-C (1984)
Fundulidae Fundulus grandis Baird & Girard, 1853 Gulf Killifish USA- Cuba Chih., NL., Tam. SRV SRV CNPE-IBUNAM 2390 Contreras-Balderas
Sardinilla del Panuco (2008)
Continued

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 Table 1. Continued.

Distribution Current
Familya Scientific name Common name nativeb Recordsc Caused status e Catalog number Resource consulted
Fundulidae Fundulus zebrinus Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 Plains Killifish USA and Mex Chih., NL Com SRV UANL 6884 Contreras-Balderas
Sardibilla cebra (1999)
Poeciliidae Gambusia affinis (Baird & Girard, 1853) Western Mosquitofish USA and Mex Coh Com Ts CNPE IBUNAM 127 Contreras-B and
Guayacón mosquito Escalante-C (1984)
Poeciliidae Gambusia hurtadoi Hubbs & Springer, Crescent Gambusia Mex Chih Ac Ts UANL 7192 Contreras-Balderas
1957 guayacón de Hacienda (1999)
de Dolores
Poeciliidae Gambusia panuco Hubbs, 1926 Pánuco Gambusia Mex Coh., Hgo., NL., Qro., SLP., Tab., Tam., Ver NR Ts FISH 97527 Contreras-B and
Guayacon del panuco Escalante-C (1984)

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Poeciliidae Gambusia regani Hubbs, 1926 Forlón Gambusia Mex Chih. Ac Ts UANL 6776 Contreras-Balderas
Guayacón del Forlon (1999)
Poeciliidae Gambusia senilis Girard, 1859 Blotched Gambusia Texas and Chih., Dgo., Tam. SRV Ts UANL 1748 Contreras-Balderas
Guayacón del Bravo Mex (2008)
Poeciliidae Gambusia speciosa Girard, 1859 Tex-Mex Gambusia Texas and Chih., Coh., NL., Tam. SRV Ts UANL 1675 Contreras-Balderas
Guaycón de Nuevo Mex (2008)
León
Poeciliidae Poecilia butleri Jordan, 1889 Pacific Molly Mex - Pan Chis., Chih., Ch., Gro., Jal., Mich., Mor., Nay., Oax., Sin., SRV Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 082 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Topote del pacifico Son (2012)
Poeciliidae Poecilia latipinna (Lesueur, 1821) Sailfin Molly USA and Mex BC. Camp., Chis., NL., Oax., SLP., Son., Tab., Tam., Ver., Or Ts CNPE-IBUNAM Ruiz-Campos et al.
topote velo negro Yuc. 11772 (2012)
Poeciliidae Poecilia latipunctata Meek, 1904 Tamesí Molly AGM Mex, Tam., Hgo., Ver., SLP., Pue. Or Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 098 Contreras-Balderas
Topote del Tamesi (1999)

11
Poeciliidae Poecilia mexicana Steindachner, 1863 Shortfin Molly Texas, Mex, Camp., Chis., Coh., Gto., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Mich., Mor., Ac Ts CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-Balderas
Topote del Atlantico Gua, CRC Nay., NL., Oax., Pue., Qro., QR., SLP., Sin., Son., Tab., 10572 (2008)
Tam., Tlax., Ver., Yuc.
Poeciliidae Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859 Guppy AS and At Ags., BC., BCS., Coh., Mex., Gto., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Mich., DSC e CNPE-IBUNAM Ruiz-Campos et al.
Mor., Nay., NL., Oax., Pue., Qro., SLP., Ver., Yuc. 10547 (2012)
Poeciliidae Poeciliopsis gracilis (Heckel, 1848) Porthole Livebearer Mex - Hon Chis., Gro., Hgo., Mex., Mor., Oax., Qro., SLP., Tab., Tam., Ac Ts Without available Miller et al.(2009)
Guatapote Jaroicho Ver., voucher
Poeciliidae Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus (Heckel, Spottail Killifish Mex, Biz, Ags., BC., BCS., Camp., Chis., Coh., Col., DF., Dgo., Gto., DSC I CNPE-IBUNAM 2351 Ruiz-Campos et al.
1848) Hon, Gua Gro., Hgo., Mex., Mich., Mor., Nay., NL., Oax., Pue., Qro., (2012)
QR., SLP., Son., Tab., Tam., Ver.
Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Poeciliidae Xiphophorus couchianus (Girard, 1859) Monterrey Platyfish AGM NL., Coh Ac Ts UANL 7405 Contreras-Balderas
Espada de Monterrey (2008)
Poeciliidae Xiphophorus gordoni Miller & Minckley, Cuatro Ciénegas Mex NL., Coh Ac Ts Without available Contreras-Balderas
1963 Platyfish voucher (1999)
Espada de Cuatro
Ciénegas
Poeciliidae Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel, 1848 Green Swordtai Mex, Biz, BC., Camp., Chis., Coh., DF., Dgo., Gto., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Or Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 1248 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Hon, Gua Mich., Mor., NL., Oax., QR., SLP., Tab., Ver. (2012)
Cola de espada
Poeciliidae Xiphophorus meyeri Schartl & Schröder, Marbled Swordtail Mex Coh SRV Ts Without available Contreras-Balderas
1988 espada de Muzquiz voucher (2008)

Poeciliidae Xiphophorus maculatus (Günther, 1866) Southern Platyfish Biz, Gua BCS., Camp., Coh., Chis., Jal., Mich., Mor., Nay., NL., Or Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 077 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Espada del sureste Oax., QR:, Tabs., Tam., Ver., (2012)
Continued

Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627

 Table 1. Continued.

Distribution Current
Familya Scientific name Common name nativeb Recordsc Caused status e Catalog number Resource consulted
Poeciliidae Xiphophorus variatus (Meek, 1904) Variable Platyfish Mex DF., Gto., Jal., Mor., NL., Pue., SLP., Son., Tam., Ver. Or Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 7572 Contreras-Balderas
Espada de Valles (1999)
Cyprinodontidae Cyprinodon variegatus Lacepède, 1803 Sheepshead Minnow USA y Mex Coh., NL., Tam. SRV SRV CNPE-IBUNAM 4597 Contreras-Balderas
Bolin petota (2008)
Scorpaenidae * Pterois volitans (Linnaeus, 1758) Red Lion Fish OI and Aus Yuc Com e CIR-UADY 1466 Aguilar et al. (2010)
Pez león
Moronidae * Morone chrysops (Rafinesque, 1820) White Bass Can, USA Chis., Coh., NL., Tam., Ac I UANL 6016 Contreras-Balderas
Lobina blanca (1999)
Moronidae * Morone saxatilis (Walbaum, 1792) Striped Bass NA Chih., Coh., BC. Dp and SRV UANL 5610 Contreras-Balderas

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Lobina estriada Ac (1999)
Centrarchidae Ambloplites rupestris (Rafinesque, 1817) Rock Bass Can and USA Chih Dp and SRV FISH 208261 Contreras-B and
Lobina de roca For Escalante-C (1984)
Centrarchidae Lepomis auritus (Linnaeus, 1758) Redbreast Sunfish Can and USA Mor., Tam., Coh. For I/SRV Without available Contreras-B and
Mojarra pecho rojo voucher Escalante-C (1984)
Centrarchidae Lepomis cyanellus Rafinesque, 1819 Green Sunfish Can, USA, BC., Coh., Chih., Dgo., Gto., Mex., Mor., NL., SLP., Son., For SRV CNPE-IBUNAM Ruiz-Campos et al.
Pez sol and Mex Tam., Zac. 12596 (2012)
Centrarchidae Lepomis gulosus (Cuvier, 1829) Warmouth USA Ags., BC., Coh., NL., Tam., Zac For e UABC 1051 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Mojarra golosa (2012)
Centrarchidae * Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 Bluegill Can-Mex Ags., BC., Chih., Coh., DF., Dgo., Gto., Gro., Hgo, Jal., Com/ For Ts CNPE-IBUNAM 7032 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Mojarra oreja azule Mex., Mor., Nay., NL., Pue., Qro., SLP., Son., Tam., Ver., (2012)
Zac.
Centrarchidae Lepomis marginatus (Holbrook, 1855) Dollar Sunfish USA Chih For I/SRV UANL 6823 Contreras-Balderas

12
Pez dólar sol (2008)

Centrarchidae Lepomis megalotis (Rafinesque, 1820) Longear Sunfish USA and Mex Chih., Coh., Dgo., NL., Son For I KUI 2989 Contreras-Balderas
Mojarra orejona (2008)
Centrarchidae Lepomis microlophus (Günther, 1859) Redear Sunfish USA BC., Son., Tam. For Ts UANL 6103 Contreras-Balderas
Mojarra oreja roja (2008)
Centrarchidae Lepomis punctatus (Valenciennes, 1831) Spotted Sunfish USA NR For I Without available Contreras-Balderas
Pez sol manchado voucher (2008)
Centrarchidae Micropterus dolomieu Lacepède, 1802 Smallmouth Bass Can and USA Coh., NL Dp I Without available Contreras-B and
lobina voucher Escalante-C (1984)
Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Centrarchidae * Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède, 1802) Largemouth Bass USA Ags., Bc., Chis., Chih., Coh., Dgo., Gto., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Dp I CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-B and
Lobina negra Mex., Mich., Mor., Nay., NL., Pue., Qro., SLP., Sin., Son., 15775 Escalante-C (1984)
Tam., Ver., Zac.
Centrarchidae * Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, 1818 White Crappie Can and USA BC, Dgo., NL., Son., Tam. Dp Ts CNPE-IBUNAM Ruiz-Campos et al.
Carpita blanca 15561 (2012)
Centrarchidae Pomoxis nigromaculatus (Lesueur, 1829) Black Crappie USA BC., Son., Dgo., Tam. Dp I CNPE-IBUAM 067 Ruiz-Campos et al.
mojarra negra (2012)
Sparidae * Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758 Gilthead seabream EUR GC Com e CIBN 4336 Balart et al. (2008)
dorada
Sciaenidae Aplodinotus grunniens, Rafinesque, 1819 Freshwater Drum Can - Gua Coh., NL., SRV SRV Without available Contreras-Balderas
Roncador de agua voucher (2008)
dulce
Sciaenidae * Sciaenops ocellatus Linnaeus, 1766 Red Drum USA and Mex Camp Ac Ts ECOSC 5595 Wakida-Kusunoki and
Corvineta ocelada Santos-Valencia (2008)
Continued

Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627

 Table 1. Continued.

Distribution Current
Familya Scientific name Common name nativeb Recordsc Caused status e Catalog number Resource consulted

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Cichlidae Amatitlania nigrofasciata (Günther, 1867) Convict cichlid CRC, ESA, Mich., Mor., Hgo Or I CNPE-IBUNAM 105 Contreras-Balderas
Mojarra convicto Gua, Hon, (1999)
Nic, Pan
Cichlidae Cichlasoma urophthalmus (Günther, 1862) Mexican Mojarra Biz Gua, Hon, Camp., Chis., Mich., Oax., QR., Tab., Ver., Yuc. Com I CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-B and
Mojarra mexicana Mex and Nic 10582 Escalante-C (1984)

Cichlidae * Hemichromis guttatus Günther 1862 Spotted Jewelfish Afr Coh., Com e UANL 15389 Contreras-Balderas and
Pez joya Ludow (2003)
Cichlidae * Herichthys cyanoguttatus Baird & Girard, Rio Grande Cichlid USA y Mex BCS., Chis., Chih., Coh., Gro., Hgo., Mor., NL., Pue., Or I CNPE-IBUNAM 102 Contreras-Balderas

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1854 Mojarra del norte Qrto., SLP., Tab., Tam., Ver. (1999)
Cichlidae * Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner, 1864) Blue Tilapia EuAs and Afr Ags., BC., BCS., Chis., Chih., Coh., Col., DF., Dgo., Gto., Com e CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-B and
Tilapia azul Gro. Hgo., Jal., Mich., Mex., Mor., NL., Oax., Qro., SLP., 11832 Escalante-C (1984)
Sin., Tab., Tam., Ver.
Cichlidae * Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters, 1852) Mozambique Tilapia Afr BC., Chis., Coh., Chih., Col., Dgo., Gto., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Com e CNPE-IBUNAM Espinosa et al. (1993)
Tilapia de Mozambique Mich., Mex., Mor., Nay., Oax., Pue., Qrto., SLP., Sin., 10287
Son., Tab., Tam., Ver.
Cichlidae * Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) Nile Tilapia tilapia del Afr BCS., Camp., Chis., Gro., Hgo., Jal., Mich., Mex., Mor., Com e CNPE-IBUNAM 094 Espinosa et al. (1993)
Nilo Nay., Oax., SLP., Ver.
Cichlidae Parachromis managuensis (Günther, 1867) Jaguar Guapote CRC Camp., Chis., Jal., Tab., Ac/AQ SRV UMMZ 223246 Contreras-Balderas
Mojarra de Managua (1999)
Cichlidae Parachromis motaguensis (Günther, 1867) Motagua Cichlid ESA, Gua, Tab., Camp Ac/AQ SRV CNPE-IBUNAM 8886 Contreras-Balderas
Mojarra de Motagua Hon (1999)

13
Cichlidae Petenia splendida Günther, 1862. Giant Cichlid Mex, Gua, Biz Camp., Chis., Oax., QR., Tab., Ver. Com SRV CNPE-IBUNAM 8949 Contreras-B and
tenguayaca Escalante-C (1984)
Cichlidae Rocio octofasciata (Regan, 1903) Jack Dempsey Mex-Hon Camp., Chis., Mor., Oax., QR., Tab., Ver., Yuc Com Ts CNPE-IBUNAM Contreras-B and
Mojarra castarrica 10202 Escalante-C (1984)
Cichlidae Theraps pearsei (Hubbs, 1936) Pantano Cichlid Mex and Gua Camp., Chis., Oax., Tab. Com SRV CNPE-IBUNAM 8961 Contreras-Balderas
Mojarra zacateca (1999)
Cichlidae * Thorichthys ellioti (Meek, 1904) Spotcheek Cichlid Mex Camp., Chis., Oax., QR., Tab., Ver. Com Ts FISH 29019 Contreras-Balderas
chescla (2008)
Cichlidae * Tilapia rendalli (Boulenger, 1897) Redbreast tilapia Afr Chis., Hgo., Mich., Oax., Sin., Tab., Ver. Com E CNPE-IBUNAM 9082 Contreras-Balderas,
Tilapia pecho rojo (1999)
Espinosa-Pérez and Ramírez | Exotic and invasive fishes in Mexico

Cichlidae * Tilapia zillii (Gervais, 1848) Redbelly Tilapia Afr and EuAs BC., BCS., Sin., Son., Com E UABC 1299 Ruiz-Campos et al.
Tilapia panza roja (2012)

* suggest exotic species from other countries.

Volume 11 | Number 3 | Article 1627