Monday, July 29, 2024

[Ichthyology • 2024] Phylogeographic Patterns of Cyphocharax (Characiformes: Curimatidae) from trans-Andean Rivers and northward expansion to lower Central America

  

Cyphocharax spp.

in Melo, Conde-Saldaña, Villa-Navarro, McMahan et Oliveira, 2024.

Abstract
Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear data of 31 specimens of Cyphocharax from trans-Andean rivers support the presence of one lineage of Cyphocharax aspilos in Lago Maracaibo and three cryptic lineages of Cyphocharax magdalenae: (1) Cauca-Magdalena and Ranchería, (2) León and Atrato, and (3) Chucunaque-Tuira, Santa María, and Chiriquí basins of Central America. Results suggest that the Serranía del Perijá facilitated Late Miocene cladogenetic events, whereas post-Isthmian C. magdalenae expansion was enabled by gene flow across the lower Magdalena valley and Central American lowlands. Time-calibrated phylogenetics indicate that the C. magdalenae colonized lower Central America in the Pliocene (3.7 MYA; Ma), the divergence Atrato-Magdalena occurred in Late Pliocene (3.0 Ma) and the split Ranchería-Magdalena during the Middle Pleistocene (1.3 Ma). Updated geographic distribution data support the hypothesis that the Cordillera de Talamanca functions as a barrier to northward expansion of C. magdalenae in Central America.

Keywords: Characiformes, Magdalena, Maracaibo, Ostariophysi, Serranía del Perijá, Talamanca



Bruno F. Melo, Cristhian C. Conde-Saldaña, Francisco A. Villa-Navarro, Caleb D. McMahan and Claudio Oliveira. 2024. Phylogeographic Patterns of Cyphocharax from trans-Andean Rivers and northward expansion to lower Central America (Teleostei, Curimatidae). Journal of Fish Biology. 105(1); 314-325. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15777