Tempo and rates of diversification in the South American cichlid genus Apistogramma (Teleostei: Perciformes: Cichlidae)

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 9; p. e0182618
• Main Authors: Tougard, Christelle, García Dávila, Carmen R., Römer, Uwe, Duponchelle, Fabrice, Cerqueira, Frédérique, Paradis, Emmanuel, Guinand, Bruno, Angulo Chávez, Carlos, Salas, Vanessa, Quérouil, Sophie, Sirvas, Susana, Renno, Jean-François
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 05.09.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Amphilophus; Amphilophus citrinellus; Animal behavior; Animals; Apistogramma; Biodiversity; Biogeography; Biology and Life Sciences; Cichlidae; Cichlids; Cichlids - physiology; Computer and Information Sciences; Conservation; Crenicara; Cytochrome; Cytochromes b - genetics; Divergence; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics; Eocene; Evolution; Evolution (Biology); Fish; Fishing; Haplotypes - genetics; Life Sciences; Likelihood Functions; Mitochondria; Morphology; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Phylogeography; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Populations and Evolution; Quaternary; South America; Speciation; Species Specificity; Studies; Systematics, Phylogenetics and taxonomy; Teleostei; Time Factors; Wildlife conservation; France; Peru; South America; Cichlidae; Diversification Rate; Phylogeny; Apistogramma
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182618

Evaluating biodiversity and understanding the processes involved in diversification are noticeable conservation issues in fishes subject to large, sometimes illegal, ornamental trade purposes. Here, the diversity and evolutionary history of the Neotropical dwarf cichlid genus Apistogramma from several South American countries are investigated. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers are used to infer phylogenetic relationships between 31 genetically identified species. The monophyly of Apistogramma is suggested, and Apistogramma species are distributed into four clades, corresponding to three morphological lineages. Divergence times estimated with the Yule process and an uncorrelated lognormal clock dated the Apistogramma origin to the beginning of the Eocene (≈ 50 Myr) suggesting that diversification might be related to marine incursions. Our molecular dating also suggests that the Quaternary glacial cycles coincide with the phases leading to Apistogramma speciation. These past events did not influence diversification rates in the speciose genus Apistogramma, since diversification appeared low and constant through time. Further characterization of processes involved in recent Apistogramma diversity will be necessary.