William F. Loftus James P. Reid Leo G. Nico 2009 Non-native suckermouth armored catfishes (Loricariidae) of the genus <i>Pterygoplichthys</i> are now common throughout much of peninsular Florida. In this paper, we present preliminary observations on interactions between a <i>Pterygoplichthys</i> species, tentatively identified as <i>P. disjunctivus</i> (Weber, 1991), and endangered native Florida manatees, <i>Trichechus manatus latirostris</i> (Harlan, 1824), in artesian spring systems in Florida's St. Johns River drainage. The introduced catfish have become abundant in spring habitats, sites used by manatees as winter thermal refuges. In the spring runs, <i>Pterygoplichthys</i> regularly attaches to manatees and grazes the epibiota on their skin. On occasion, dozens of <i>Pterygoplichthys</i> congregate on individual manatees. Manatee responses varied widely; some did not react visibly to attached catfish whereas others appeared agitated and attempted to dislodge the fish. The costs and/or benefits of this interaction to manatees remain unclear. application/pdf en Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre Interactions between non-native armored suckermouth catfish (Loricariidae: <i>Pterygoplichthys</i>) and native Florida manatee (<i>Trichechus manatus latirostris</i>) in artesian springs article