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Day JJ, Steell EM, Vigliotta TR, Withey LA, Bills R, Friel JP, Genner MJ, Stiassny MLJ. Exceptional levels of species discovery ameliorate inferences of the biogeography and diversification of an Afrotropical catfish family. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2023; 182:107754. [PMID: 36906193 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Endeavours in species discovery, particularly the characterisation of cryptic species, have been greatly aided by the application of DNA molecular sequence data to phylogenetic reconstruction and inference of evolutionary and biogeographic processes. However, the extent of cryptic and undescribed diversity remains unclear in tropical freshwaters, where biodiversity is declining at alarming rates. To investigate how data on previously undiscovered biodiversity impacts inferences of biogeography and diversification dynamics, we generated a densely sampled species-level family tree of Afrotropical Mochokidae catfishes (220 valid species) that was ca. 70 % complete. This was achieved through extensive continental sampling specifically targeting the genus Chiloglanis a specialist of the relatively unexplored fast-flowing lotic habitat. Applying multiple species-delimitation methods, we report exceptional levels of species discovery for a vertebrate genus, conservatively delimiting a staggering ca. 50 putative new Chiloglanis species, resulting in a near 80 % increase in species richness for the genus. Biogeographic reconstructions of the family identified the Congo Basin as a critical region in the generation of mochokid diversity, and further revealed complex scenarios for the build-up of continental assemblages of the two most species rich mochokid genera, Synodontis and Chiloglanis. While Syndontis showed most divergence events within freshwater ecoregions consistent with largely in situ diversification, Chiloglanis showed much less aggregation of freshwater ecoregions, suggesting dispersal as a key diversification process in this older group. Despite the significant increase in mochokid diversity identified here, diversification rates were best supported by a constant rate model consistent with patterns in many other tropical continental radiations. While our findings highlight fast-flowing lotic freshwaters as potential hotspots for undescribed and cryptic species diversity, a third of all freshwater fishes are currently threatened with extinction, signifying an urgent need to increase exploration of tropical freshwaters to better characterise and conserve its biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia J Day
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Elizabeth M Steell
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Thomas R Vigliotta
- Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lewis A Withey
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Roger Bills
- South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag, 1015, 6140 Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - John P Friel
- Alabama Museum of Natural History, The University of Alabama, Box 870340, 35487-0340 Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
| | - Martin J Genner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Melanie L J Stiassny
- Department of Ichthyology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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