Phylogeography and demographic history of two widespread Indo-Pacific mudskippers (Gobiidae: Periophthalmus).
This study provides a first description of the phylogeographic patterns and evolutionary history of two species of the mudskipper genus Periophthalmus. These amphibious gobies are distributed throughout the whole Indo-Pacific region and Atlantic coast of Africa, in peritidal habitats of soft-bottom coastal ecosystems. Three sequence datasets of two widely distributed species, Periophthalmus argentilineatus and P. kalolo, were obtained by amplifying and sequencing two mtDNA markers (D-loop and 16S rDNA) and the nDNA rag1 region. The three datasets were then used to perform phylogeographic, demographic and population genetic analyses. Our results indicate that tectonic events and past climatic oscillations strongly contributed to shape present genetic differentiation, phylogeographic and demographic patterns. We found support for the monophyly of P. kalolo, and only shallow genetic differentiation between East-African and Indo-Malayan populations of this species. However, our collections of the morphospecies P. argentilineatus include three molecularly distinct lineages, one of them more closely related to P. kalolo. The presence of Miocenic timings for the most recent common ancestors of some of these morphologically similar clades, suggests the presence of strong stabilising selection in mudskippers' habitats. At population level, demographic analyses and palaeoecological records of mangrove ecosystems suggest that Pleistocene bottlenecks and expansion plus secondary contact events of the studied species were associated with recurrent sea transgressions during interglacials, and sea regressions or stable regimes during glacials, respectively.
Department of Biology, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Bandar Seri Begawan, Gadong, Negara, Brunei Darussalam; Institute of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: gianluca.polgar@gmail.com.
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Polgar
Department of Biology, University of Padova, via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy.
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Zane
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, viale dell'Università 16, Agripolis 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy.
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Babbucci
Department of Biology, University of Padova, via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy.
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Barbisan
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, viale dell'Università 16, Agripolis 35020, Legnaro (PD), Italy.
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Patarnello
Naturhistorisches Museum der Burgergemeinde Bern, Bernastrasse 15, 3005 Bern, Switzerland.
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Rüber
Department of Biology, University of Padova, via G. Colombo 3, 35121 Padova, Italy.
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Papetti
D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005828:Genetics, Population; D007194:India; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010473:Perciformes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013997:Time Factors
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal
Bayesian analyses; Fish morphology; Mangrove habitat; Molecular evolution; Periophthalmus argentilineatus; Periophthalmus kalolo