Genetic population structure of Hemigrammocypris rasborella (Cyprinidae) inferred from mtDNA sequences

Abstract

The genetic population structure of the small cyprinid Hemigrammocypris rasborella, distributed widely in lowlands of western Japan, was examined using partial sequence data of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the populations of the western Kyushu region were markedly differentiated from all eastern populations, such that the groups would be comparable to different species; their divergence was inferred to have occurred in the Late Miocene-Pliocene. Also, a largely divergent mtDNA group (with divergence in the early Pleistocene) was found in the Sanyo and northeastern Shikoku regions, forming a secondary contact zone in the western Kinki with the eastern mtDNA group. To date, these aspects of the population structure of H. rasborella appear to be unique among lowland fishes in western Japan. Deeper understanding of the formation processes of freshwater faunas in western Japan will require further comparisons of the phylogeographic patterns and ecological traits of constituent species.

An integrative taxonomic analysis reveals a new species of loticHynobiussalamander from Japan

“…In general, the geographic split between Hynobius fossigenus sp. nov. and H. kimurae sensu stricto corresponds to the border between the eastern and western parts of Japan and a similar phylogeographic pattern was reported in various groups of animals, including freshwater fishes ( Watanabe, 1998 , 2012 ; Watanabe et al, 2006 , 2014 ; Tominaga, Nakajima & Watanabe, 2016 ; Nakagawa et al, 2016 ) and insects ( Suzuki, Sato & Ohba, 2002 ; Tojo et al, 2017 ). This initial split is often attributed to the formation of the Fossa Magna, which separated the southwestern and northeastern paleo-Japanese landmasses ( Kato, 1992 ).…”

Genetic diversification of the Kanehira bitterling Acheilognathus rhombeus inferred from mitochondrial DNA, with comments on the phylogenetic relationship with its sister species Acheilognathus barbatulus

“…In Honshu, lineages A and C showed a segregated distribution in the Kinki and Sanyo regions, with partial overlap in the western Kinki region (Figure 1). A similar pattern of lineage distribution was observed in other cyprinids, including R. o. kurumeus (Kawamura et al, 2001a), Biwia zezera (Ishikawa 1895) and Hemigrammocypris rasborella Fowler 1910 (Watanabe et al, 2014). The divergence time between lineages A and C was estimated to be the middle Pleistocene (0.55 Mya) (Figure 4), which accords with that between the Lake Biwa (in Kinki) and Sanyo lineages of B. zezera, using the same clock of Zardoya and Doadrio (1999) as in this study .…”

Cryptic divergence and phylogeography of the pike gudgeon Pseudogobio esocinus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): a comprehensive case of freshwater phylogeography in Japan

“…For example, the Suzuka Mountains are important geographic barriers that influenced phylogeographic structures of other freshwater species (e.g., Rhinogobius flumineus, see Shimizu et al 1993; Biwia zezera, see Watanabe et al 2010) and may have contributed to the heterogeneity of freshwater fish fauna (Watanabe 2012). In contrast, the minnow Hemigrammocypris rasborella and the freshwater goby Odontobutis obscura, both widely distributed in western Japan, exhibit slightly different patterns from Groups A and B; they consist of two genetically differentiated regional groups in the Setouchi area, which might be associated with two palaeo-river systems that flowed eastward and westward, respectively, in that area (Sakai et al 1998;Watanabe et al 2014). No such differentiation was found in Groups A and B, and NCPA suggested westward gene flow for partial subclades of Group A in this area.…”