Molecular clocks, biogeography and species diversity inHerichthyswith 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

Abstract

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.

“Unraveling the Gut Microbiota Composition of the Genus Herichthys (Cichliformes:Pisces)”

“…The six species included in the Herichthys cyanoguttatus species group arose almost strictly as a result of an allopatric mechanism between 7mya to 1 mya, where the arise of Herichthys tamasopoensis marks the separation of a parapatric population of H. carpintis. In contrast, the group of species included in the Herichthys bartoni species group comprise two pairs of truly sympatric species that arose near 1mya in the Río Verde and the Río Gallinas (Pérez-Miranda et al 2020a, 2020b. The older radiation in the H. cyanoguttatus species group is reflected in a stronger phylosymbiosis signal compared with the H. bartoni species group (Figure 5).…”

“…Fish species phylogenetic reconstruction was done using a random selected sequence dataset of the complete cytochrome b mitochondrial gene previously generated and built as described in Pérez-Miranda et al (2020a).…”

“…Recently, extensive research involving mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers as well as a sampling genome approach using ddRAD has led to clearly support the phylogenetic relationships within the group (Pérez-Miranda et al 2018). ; Through the use of different calibration approaches it has been stated that the group originated between 10 to 17.1 Ma and comprise two assemblages of species, the clade H. labridens includes five species (H. labridens, H.bartoni, H. pame, H.steindachneri and H. pantostictus) where the speciation process is mainly sympatric; and the clade H. cyanoguttatus comprises six species (H. cyanoguttatus, H. carpintis, H. tamasopoensis, H. deppii, H. minckleyi and H. tepehua) whose speciation process was almost completely allopatric (Pérez-Miranda et al 2020a, 2020b. Analysis of stomach content allow to state that the species included in the genus Herichthys comprise several trophic niches ranging from detritivorous (H.carpintis, H.tamasopoensis and H. cyanoguttatus), herbivorous (H. minckleyi, H. pame and H. deppii) and alguivorous (H. labridens) to invertivorous (H. pantostictus and H. tepehua), molluscivorous (H. bartoni) and piscivorous (H. steindachneri) species (Pérez-Miranda et al 2019).…”

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

“…proto-Antilles) received immigrants from South America during tectonic collision, dated 100-90 Ma (Boschman et al, 2014;Stanek et al, 2019). However, evidence for intraplate collision does not guarantee there were land connections (Perfit & Williams, 1989), and sea levels in the Cretaceous were higher than at present (Haq, 2014), decreasing potential for land connections. As an example, the Great Arc later collided with the Bahamas Platform (Eocene; Boschman et al, 2014), but land connections did not arise between the Greater Antilles and North America (Iturralde-Vinent, 2006), even though Cuba was transferred onto the North American block (Stanek, Maresch & Pindell, 2009).…”

Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses

“…For Gambusia , only point estimates are available (Reznick et al, 2017). Other estimates include error bars indicating measures of uncertainty provided in references (Haney et al, 2007; Reznick et al, 2017; Tatarenkov et al, 2017; Pérez-Miranda et al, 2020). Two possible scenarios for Limia & Hispaniolan Poecilia— as a combined (asterisk) or as separate (caret) immigrations—are shown (see text).…”