[Ichthyology • 2018] Evidence of Cryptic Species in the Blenniid Cirripectes alboapicalis species complex, with Zoogeographic Implications for the South Pacific

Cirripectes alboapicalis 

live colors of Clade 1 from Rangitāhua - Kermadec Islands

in Delrieu-Trottin, Liggins, Trnski, et al., 2018. 

DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.810.28887

 (photograph by Richard Robinson (www.depth.co.nz) 

Abstract

Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island (Chile), is one of the most isolated tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean. The island location of Rapa Nui makes it the easternmost point of the geographic ranges for many western Pacific fish species that are restricted to the subtropical islands south of 20°S latitude. The blenniid fish species Cirripectes alboapicalis has been thought to have one of the most extensive geographic distribution ranges among these southern subtropical fish species, extending from the southern Great Barrier Reef to Rapa Nui. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to determine the taxonomic status of the species. The results provide genetic evidence that suggests that this formerly South Pacific-wide species comprises at least three cryptic species with allopatric geographic distributions. The analyses reveal the geographic distributions of these clades and their genetic relationships with each other, and with other species within the genus Cirripectes. The processes that culminated in the current geographic distribution of this species complex and the zoogeographic implications of this finding for the South Pacific region are discussed.

Keywords:  Austral Islands, Blenniidae, cryptic species, cytochrome oxidase I, Easter Island, endemism, French Polynesia, Gambier Islands, Kermadec Islands, mtDNA, Phylogeny, Rangitāhua, Rapa Nui

Figure 4. Pictures of specimens from the three genetic clades of this study;
 a live colors (photograph by Richard Robinson (www.depth.co.nz)) and b freshly dead colors (photograph by Carl Struthers Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) of Clade 1 from Rangitāhua - Kermadec Islands
c Clade 2, French Polynesia from Austral - Gambier Islands (photographs by Jeffrey T. Williams)
d Clade 3 Rapa Nui (photograph by Erwan Delrieu-Trottin);
and e Cirripectes obscurus (photograph by Jeffrey T. Williams).

 Erwan Delrieu-Trottin, Libby Liggins, Thomas Trnski, Jeffrey T. Williams, Valentina Neglia, Cristian Rapu-Edmunds, Serge Planes and Pablo Saenz-Agudelo. 2018. Evidence of Cryptic Species in the Blenniid Cirripectes alboapicalis species complex, with Zoogeographic Implications for the South Pacific.  ZooKeys. 810: 127-138. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.810.28887