Northern South America

Rodríguez‐Olarte, Douglas; Corzo, José Iván Mojica; Baechle, Donald C. Taphorn

doi:10.1525/california/9780520268685.003.0015

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Molecular work on the killifish Rivulus hartii (= Anablepsoides hartii ) has revealed recent dispersal events between the IMA, PR, and TRI-TOB throughout interglacial periods and by decreased marine salinity at that time [ 66 ]. Our results are consistent with the freshwater fish inventories which show that fewer species counts in the eastern Caribbean regions are less species richness than those the west [ 105 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…To date, the most extensive delimitation of biogeographic “provinces” in Northern Venezuela and its Caribbean coast are based on freshwater fish presence-absence classification records and ordination models [ 105 ]. Two faunas are currently recognized; Maracaibo and Caribbean, with a significant decline in species from east to west [ 34 , 105 ]. The reasons for such biogeographical zones are a consequence of geology, geomorphology, active tectonics, and past climatic conditions [ 96 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biogeographical patterns of amphibians and reptiles in the northernmost coastal montane complex of South America

et al. 2021

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We examine, for the first time, biogeographic patterns in a series of tropical montane coastal systems in northern South America. We use amphibians and reptiles, which constitute the most critical communities based upon the prevalence of endemic taxa, to assess the region’s biodiversity. The montane coastal system spans an east-west distance of 925 km. It includes peaks ranging from 549 m to 2765 m above sea level and encompasses the montane complexes of northern Venezuela (including Isla de Margarita), an outlier at Santa Marta (Colombia), and ranges on the islands Trinidad and Tobago. The area supports 14 family level amphibian clades and 23 family level reptile clades. Fieldwork, museum specimen surveys, and a literature review suggest that biodiversity decreases at higher elevations. Here we examine the biogeographic patterns in the region to assess the role of the montane systems as possible refugia. We also look at the possible island and sky island effects using data from altitudes >200 m. At lower elevations, we tabulated 294 species, comprising 112 amphibians and 182 reptiles. About 45% of these taxa are endemic or exclusive to different sub-regions. At mid-elevation montane cloud forests, we find a much-reduced biodiversity with a total of 125 species (66 amphibians and 59 reptiles) exclusive or restricted to the region, and few species shared between systems. We find that biogeographical patterns follow a natural topographic disposition above 200 m in elevations. At the lower elevation cut off, there are 118 species (26 amphibians and 92 reptiles) shared among two or more of the studied mountain systems, suggesting a common origin and dispersal events, despite what seem to be topographic barriers. Biogeographical relationships support a topographic disposition of the region with close associations between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, the Paria Range and the Turimiquire Massif, and close associations between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Sierra de San Luis. Overall, the biogeographic relationships between amphibians and reptiles are similar. Species diversity in the eastern Caribbean region is less rich than in the west. This study includes the first herpetological surveys at the two easternmost mountains (Cerro La Cerbatana and Campeare) belonging to the Paria Range biogeographic unit, and aims to contribute to a better understanding of the rich biodiversity of the region.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogeographical patterns of amphibians and reptiles in the northernmost coastal montane complex of South America

et al. 2021

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“…We are just beginning to uncover the endohelminth parasite fauna of the southernmost regions of TMA (see table 1). Our preliminary data from Panama (table 1) support the relationship of the southern LCA drainages with those of SA (Smith & Bermingham, 2005; Rodríguez-Olarte et al ., 2011; Matamoros et al ., 2015). A clustering analysis of the fish fauna shows that the Chagres and Tuira drainages of Panama have a shared history with those of western coastal Colombia (Rodríguez-Olarte et al ., 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As of now, the helminths from the Chagres drainage (table 1) show a clear, but general, similarity with taxa from SA, with the exception of Paracreptotrema mendezi in a poeciliid, a potential northern Middle-American derivative. The only parasite that might suggest a specific drainage relationship is Wallinia from Gephyrocharax in Panama (table 1); the only Wallinia ( W. valenciae ) found in SA is also from a Gephyrocharax species, from Lake Valencia in Venezuela, part of the Maracaibo drainage, which forms part of the extended drainage relationships linking LCA and north-western SA (Rodríguez-Olarte et al ., 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites of freshwater fishes and the Great American Biotic Interchange: a bridge too far?

2016

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We examine the extent to which adult helminths of freshwater fishes have been part of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), by integrating information in published studies and new data from Panama with fish biogeography and Earth history of Middle America. The review illustrates the following: (1) the helminth fauna south of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and especially south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, shows strong Neotropical affinities; (2) host-parasite associations follow principles of the 'biogeographic core fauna' in which host-lineage specificity is pronounced; (3) phylogenetic analysis of the widespread freshwater trematode family Allocreadiidae reveals a complex history of host-shifting and co-diversification involving mainly cyprinodontiforms and characids; (4) allocreadiids, monogeneans and spiruridan nematodes of Middle American cyprinodontiforms may provide clues to the evolutionary history of their hosts; and (5) phylogenetic analyses of cryptogonimid trematodes may reveal whether or how cichlids interacted with marine or brackish-water environments during their colonization history. The review shows that 'interchange' is limited and asymmetrical, but simple narratives of northward isthmian dispersal will likely prove inadequate to explain the historical biogeography of many host-parasite associations in tropical Middle America, particularly those involving poeciliids. Finally, our study highlights the urgent need for targeted survey work across Middle America, focused sampling in river drainages of Colombia and Venezuela, and deeper strategic sampling in other parts of South America, in order to develop and test robust hypotheses about fish-parasite associations in Middle America.

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“…Northwestern South America and the Isthmus of Panama have experienced greater geological upheaval than any other area of the Neotropics–including the partitioning of the Maracaibo basin, Magdalena basins, Pacific coastal systems, and Caribbean coastal drainages by multiple Andean orogenies, and the Plio-Pleistocene (or earlier) closure of the Panamanian isthmus. These transformations, and their impact on the ichthyofauna, have been reviewed by multiple authors [ 69 , 101 , 108 – 111 ]. Two species of Brachyhypopomus , B .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic Systematics, Biogeography, and Ecology of the Electric Fish Genus Brachyhypopomus (Ostariophysi: Gymnotiformes)

et al. 2016

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A species-level phylogenetic reconstruction of the Neotropical bluntnose knifefish genus Brachyhypopomus (Gymnotiformes, Hypopomidae) is presented, based on 60 morphological characters, approximately 1100 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytb gene, and approximately 1000 base pairs of the nuclear rag2 gene. The phylogeny includes 28 species of Brachyhypopomus and nine outgroup species from nine other gymnotiform genera, including seven in the superfamily Rhamphichthyoidea (Hypopomidae and Rhamphichthyidae). Parsimony and Bayesian total evidence phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of the genus, and identify nine robust species groups. Homoplastic osteological characters associated with diminutive body size and occurrence in small stream habitats, including loss of squamation and simplifications of the skeleton, appear to mislead a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters alone–resulting in the incorrect placing of Microsternarchus + Racenisia in a position deeply nested within Brachyhypopomus. Consideration of geographical distribution in light of the total evidence phylogeny indicates an origin for Brachyhypopomus in Greater Amazonia (the superbasin comprising the Amazon, Orinoco and major Guiana drainages), with subsequent dispersal and vicariance in peripheral basins, including the La Plata, the São Francisco, and trans-Andean basins of northwest South America and Central America. The ancestral habitat of Brachyhypopomus likely resembled the normoxic, low-conductivity terra firme stream system occupied by many extant species, and the genus has subsequently occupied a wide range of terra firme and floodplain habitats including low- and high-conductivity systems, and normoxic and hypoxic systems. Adaptations for impedance matching to high conductivity, and/or for air breathing in hypoxic systems have attended these habitat transitions. Several species of Brachyhypopomus are eurytopic with respect to habitat occupancy and these generally exhibit wider geographical ranges than stenotopic species.

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Northern South America

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Biogeographical patterns of amphibians and reptiles in the northernmost coastal montane complex of South America

Biogeographical patterns of amphibians and reptiles in the northernmost coastal montane complex of South America

Parasites of freshwater fishes and the Great American Biotic Interchange: a bridge too far?

Phylogenetic Systematics, Biogeography, and Ecology of the Electric Fish Genus Brachyhypopomus (Ostariophysi: Gymnotiformes)

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