Molecular clocks, biogeography and species diversity in Herichthys with evaluation of the role of Punta del Morro as a vicariant brake along the Mexican Transition Zone in the context of local and global time frame of cichlid diversification

PeerJ

article

Fabian Pérez-Miranda¹  Omar Mejia¹  Benjamín López¹  Oldřich Říčan² 

[1] Laboratorio de Variación Biológica y Evolución, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional;Departament of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia

关键词: Central america;    Ichthyological provinces;    Molecular clocks;    Dispersal–vicariance;    Extinctions;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.8818

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Using molecular dated phylogenies and biogeographic reconstructions, the species diversity, biogeography and time frame of evolution of the genus Herichthys were evaluated. In particular, we test the role of Punta del Morro (PdM) as a vicariant brake along the Mexican Transition Zone in the context of local and global time frame of cichlid diversification using several sets of calibrations. Species diversity in Herichthys is complex and the here employed dating methods suggest young age and rapid divergence for many species while species delimitation methods did not resolve these young species including both sympatric species pairs. Based on our molecular clock dating analyses, Herichthys has colonized its present distribution area significantly prior to the suggested vicariance by PdM (10–17.1 Ma vs. 5 to 7.5 Ma). The PdM constraint is in conflict with all other paleogeographic and fossil constraints including novel ones introduced in this study that are, however, congruent among each other. Our study demonstrates that any cichlid datings significantly older or younger than the bounds presented by our analyses and discussion have to be taken as highly questionable from the point of view of Middle American paleogeography and cichlid biogeography unless we allow the option that cichlid biogeography is completely independent from ecological and geological constraints.

【 授权许可】

CC BY