title: Evolution of opercle bone shape along a macrohabitat gradient: species identification using mtDNA and geometric morphometric analyses in neotropical sea catfishes (Ariidae).
abstract: Transitions between the marine and freshwater macrohabitat have occurred repeatedly in the evolution of teleost fishes. For example, ariid catfishes have moved from freshwater to marine environments, and vice versa. Opercles, a skeletal feature that has been shown to change during such transitions, were subjected to 2D geometric morphometric analyses in order to investigate evolutionary shape changes during habitat transition in ariid catfishes and to test the influence of habitat on shape changes. A mtDNA marker, which proved useful in previous studies, was used to verify species identities. It greatly improved the assignment of specimens to a species, which are difficult to assign by morphology alone. The application of a mtDNA marker confirmed the occurrence of Notarius biffi in Central America, South of El Salvador. Molecular identification together with principal component analysis (PCA) and further morphological inspection of neurocrania indicated the existence of a cryptic species within Bagre pinnimaculatus. Principal component (PC) scores of individual specimens clustered in morphospace by genus rather than by habitat. Strong phylogenetic structure was detected using a permutation test of PC scores of species means on a phylogenetic tree. Calculation of Pagel's λ suggested that opercle shape evolved according to a Brownian model of evolution. Yet canonical variate analysis (CVA) conducted on the habitat groups showed significant differences in opercle shapes among freshwater and marine species. Overall, opercle shape in tropical American Ariidae appears to be phylogenetically constrained. This verifies the application of opercle shape as a taxonomic tool for species identification in fossil ariid catfishes. At the same time, adaptation to freshwater habitats shows characteristic opercle shape trajectories in ariid catfishes, which might be used to detect habitat preferences in fossils.
authors.affiliation: Palaeontological Institute and Museum University of Zurich Karl-Schmid-Strasse 48006 Zurich Switzerland; Zoological Institute University of Basel Vesalgasse 14051 Basel Switzerland.
authors.forename: Madlen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stange
authors.affiliation: Palaeontological Institute and Museum University of Zurich Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4 8006 Zurich Switzerland.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aguirre-Fernández
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute MRC 0580-08 Apartado 0843-03092 Panama Republic of Panama.
authors.forename: Richard G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.affiliation: Museo de Biología Facultad Experimental de Ciencias La Universidad del Zulia Apartado Postal 526 Maracaibo 4011 Estado Zulia Venezuela.
authors.forename: Tito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute University of Basel Vesalgasse 1 4051 Basel Switzerland.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Salzburger
authors.affiliation: Palaeontological Institute and Museum University of Zurich Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4 8006 Zurich Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marcelo R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Villagra
keywords: Geometric morphometrics; Siluriformes; macrohabitat transition; mitochondrial DNA; systematics; taxonomy