Identification of the notothenioid sister lineage illuminates the biogeographic history of an Antarctic adaptive radiation

• DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0362-9
• Publication Date: 2015-06-11T05:25:38Z
• Authors: Thomas J Near; Alex Dornburg; Richard C Harrington; Claudio Oliveira; Theodore W Pietsch; Christine E Thacker; Takashi P Satoh; Eri Katayama; Peter C Wainwright; Joseph T Eastman; Jeremy M Beaulieu
• Keywords: Lineage (genetic)

Antarctic notothenioids are an impressive adaptive radiation. While they share recent common ancestry with several species-depauperate lineages that exhibit a relictual distribution in areas peripheral to the Southern Ocean, understanding of their evolutionary origins and biogeographic history is limited as sister lineage remains unidentified. The phylogenetic placement among major perciform fishes, which include sculpins, rockfishes, sticklebacks, eelpouts, scorpionfishes, perches, groupers soapfishes, unresolved. We investigate position using DNA sequences 10 protein coding nuclear genes sampled from more than 650 percomorph species. reconstructed maximum likelihood method integrates relationships, estimated divergence times, geographic distributions paleogeographic history. Percophis brasiliensis resolved, strong node support, notothenioid lineage. species endemic subtropical temperate Atlantic coast southern South America. Biogeographic reconstructions imply initial diversification involved western portion East Gondwanan Weddellian Province. disjunctions show temporal correspondence fragmentation Gondwana. resolution requires change classification fishes provides evidence for origin notothenioids. reconstruction highlights importance climatic isolation Antarctica driving radiation cold-adapted