Journal Article
Multi-locus phylogeny of the catfish genus Ictalurus Rafinesque, 1820 (Actinopterygii, Siluriformes) and its systematic and evolutionary implications
Pérez-Rodríguez, R., Domínguez-Domínguez, O., Pedraza-Lara, C., Rosas-Valdez, R., Pérez-Ponce de León, G., García-Andrade, A.B. and Doadrio, I.
Record Number:
6226
Year:
2023
Journal:
BMC Ecology and Evolution
Pages:
1-10
Volume:
23:27
Notes:
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit
Abstract:
Background Ictalurus is one of the most representative groups of North American freshwater fishes. Although this
group has a well-studied fossil record and has been the subject of several morphological and molecular phylogenetic
studies, incomplete taxonomic sampling and insufficient taxonomic studies have produced a rather complex
classification, along with intricate patterns of evolutionary history in the genus that are considered unresolved and
remain under debate.
Results Based on four loci and the most comprehensive taxonomic sampling analyzed to date, including currently
recognized species, previously synonymized species, undescribed taxa, and poorly studied populations, this study
produced a resolved phylogenetic framework that provided plausible species delimitation and an evolutionary time
framework for the genus Ictalurus.
Conclusions Our phylogenetic hypothesis revealed that Ictalurus comprises at least 13 evolutionary units, partially
corroborating the current classification and identifying populations that emerge as putative undescribed taxa. The
divergence times of the species indicate that the diversification of Ictalurus dates to the early Oligocene, confirming
its status as one of the oldest genera within the family Ictaluridae.
Keywords Evolution, Freshwater fishes, Ictaluridae, North America, Taxonomic classification
Times Cited:
2