The use of digital data sources, such as social media, in iEcology has opened up new opportunities for research on species distribution and biological invasions. Invasive species can cause significant damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services, making early detection and intervention crucial. Ornamental fish species are a particular concern, as many have been imported to India for aquaria and have caused direct damage to local biodiversity. South American invasive catfish species belonging to the family Loricariidae have been introduced to many parts of the world outside their natural range, including India. Despite a lack of published records, this study used social media and internet sources to identify 28 sites of occurrence of suckermouth armoured catfish in the River Krishna basin across four Indian states. Through morphological and genetic analysis, the invasive loricariid fish collected from the River Krishna basin at Bhigwan was confirmed to be Pterygoplichthys pardalis. In addition, sentiment analysis of social media content and other internet sources revealed that 60.71% of individuals perceive the introduction of suckermouth armoured catfish to their region as a threat. This insight could prove advantageous as society is more likely to support eradication activities necessary to prevent further damage to the ecosystem.