Phylogeny of the Southeast Asian freshwater fish genus Pangio (Cypriniformes; Cobitidae)

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 61; no. 3; pp. 854 - 865
• Main Authors: Bohlen, Jörg, Šlechtová, Vendula, Tan, Heok Hui, Britz, Ralf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2011
• Subjects: Age; Animals; Asia, Southeastern; Asian; Bayes Theorem; Calibration; Clocks; Cobitidae; Cypriniformes; Cypriniformes - classification; Cypriniformes - genetics; cytochrome b; Cytochromes; Cytochromes b - genetics; data collection; Eel loaches; Evolution; Fish; Fresh Water; Freshwater; freshwater fish; Genes; Pangio; Phylogeny; Phylogeography; Southeast Asia; species diversity; Species group; Sundaland; South East Asia; Asia, Southeastern; Southeast Asia; Sundaland; Phylogeny; Phylogeography; Pangio; Species group; Eel loaches
• ISSN: 1055-7903; 1095-9513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.08.003

[Display omitted] ► Eel loaches are a diverse and widespread group of freshwater fishes in Asia. ► We present the first comprehensive phylogeny showing a large undiscovered diversity. ► Eel loaches form three major species-groups and more than 30 species. ► The cladogenesis reflects events of vicariance and of faunal exchanges in Sundaland. The genus Pangio is one of the most species-rich of the loach family Cobitidae and widespread across South and Southeast Asia. Its species diversity has never been studied under a clear phylogenetic approach, but four ‘species-groups’ were proposed according to the most obvious morphological characters. We present here phylogenetic analyses of the genus Pangio based on sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, the nuclear recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG 1) and a combined dataset of 109 specimens from 18 morphologically identified species across the whole distribution area of the genus. Our data reveal the existence of three major lineages within Pangio. Two of our major lineages were congruent with formerly proposed species-groups, the remaining two species-groups together formed the third major lineage; herein we refer to the lineages as to anguillaris-group, kuhlii-oblonga group and shelfordii-group. The application of a molecular clock dated the age of the three lineages to 33–29 million years. At the species level, our data suggest about 30 distinct lineages, indicating that there is a high number of undescribed species within Pangio. The use of Pangio to address biogeographic questions is demonstrated with the example of the shelfordii-group, which is distributed across Sundaland.