Multiple invasions of europe by east asian cobitid loaches (Teleostei : Cobitidae)

While it has been widely suggested that freshwater fishes from East Asia invaded the western Palaearctic, details about this process are largely unknown. Here, using the cytochrome b gene, we evaluated the phylogenetic relationships of a small group of Eurasian primary freshwater fishes (Cobitidae), which are widely distributed and species rich in East Asia and Europe, with the purpose of inferring their invasion process of Europe from East Asia. Though phylogenetic relationships of cobitids were not well resolved, our analysis could identify three sister groups formed by the European and East Asian cobitids, which brought new insights into the biogeography of the genera Cobitis, Misgurnus, and Sabanejewia. The present results support the view that Asian cobitid fishes may have invaded Europe at least five times independently, and once reverse colonization of European cobitids to East Asia could also be found. Ancestral Sabanejewia might have been the first cobitids to cross Siberia and invade the EMZS (Euro-Mediterranean zoogeographic subregion) about 33.54 million years ago (MYA). One lineage of Cobitis and the ancestor of Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus) almost in the same time invaded the Europe, responding to 16.71 MYA and 16.59 MYA, respectively. Three different lineages of Cobitis were found to have invaded the EMZS from East Asia, and once reverse invasion to East Asia occurred to one subclade of European Cobitis. And our data also suggest that the diversity of East Asian cobitid fishes, especially of the genus Cobitis, is greatly underestimated.

Phylogeny and speciation of the eastern Asian cyprinid genus Sarcocheilichthys

The genus Sarcocheilichthys is a group of small cyprinid fishes comprising 10 species/sub-species widely distributed in East Asia, which represents a valuable model for understanding the speciation of freshwater fishes in East Asia. In the present study, the molecular phylogenetic relationship of the genus Sarcocheilichthys was investigated using a 1140 bp section of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Two different tree-building methods, maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian methods, yielded trees with almost the same topology, yielding high bootstrap values or posterior probabilities. The results showed that the genus Sarcocheilichthys consists of two large clades, clades I and II. Clade I contains Sarcocheilichthys lacustris, Sarcocheilichthys sinensis and Sarcocheilichthys parvus, with S. parvus at a basal position. In clade II, Sarcocheilichthys variegatus microoculus is at a basal position; samples of the widespread species, Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis, form a large subclade containing another valid species Sarcocheilichthys czerskii. Sarcocheilichthys kiangsiensis is retained at an intermediate position. Since S. czerskii is a valid species in the S. nigripinnis clade, remaining samples of S. nigripinnis form a paraphyly. This speciation process is attributed to geographical isolation and special environmental conditions experienced by S. czerskii and stable environments experienced by the other S. nigripinnis populations. This type of speciation process was suggested to be very common. Samples of Sarcocheilichthys sinensis sinensis and Sarcocheilichthys sinensis fukiensis that did not form their own monophyletic groups suggest an early stage of speciation and support their sub-species status. Molecular clock analysis indicates that the two major lineages of the genus Sarcocheilichthys, clades I and II diverged c. 8.89 million years ago (mya). Sarcocheilichthys v. microoculus from Japan probably diverged 4.78 mya from the Chinese group. The northern-southern clades of S. nigripinnis began to diverge c. 2.12 mya, while one lineage of S. nigripinnis evolved into a new species, S. czerski, c. 0.34 mya. (C) 2008 The Authors Journal compilation (C) 2008 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

MtDNA phylogeny provides evidence of generic polyphyleticism for East Asian bagrid catfishes

We explore the intrafamilial relationships of East Asian bagrid catfishes (Hemibagrus, Pseudobagrus, Pelteobagrus, and Leiocassis) based on 245 sequences of 1092 bp mitochondrial cytochrome b fragments. Four haplotypes were found to be shared by Pseudobagrus ussuriensis, Pelteobagrus vachelli and Pelteobagrus nitidus. Phylogenetic trees were performed using the neighbor joining, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian likelihood methods. The phylogenetic trees based on NJ, MP, ML and BL inferences strongly support polyphyleticism for the currently recognized genera Pseudobagrus, Pelteobagrus and Leiocassis. However, the species currently assigned to these three genera form a robustly monophyletic group with relatively low genetic divergence. The structure of maxillary barbels and serrations on the anterior edge of the pectoral spines seem to be indicatory of appropriate phylogenetic traits. We propose that only Hemibagrus and Pseudobagrus are the only valid genera of East Asian bagrids.

Molecular evidence for the monophyly of East Asian groups of Cyprinidae (Teleostei : Cypriniformes) derived from the nuclear recombination activating gene 2 sequences

The family Cyprinidae is one of the largest families of fishes in the world and a well-known component of the East Asian freshwater fish fauna. However, the phylogenetic relationships among cyprinids are still poorly understood despite much effort paid on the cyprinid molecular phylogenetics. Original nucleotide sequence data of the nuclear recombination activating gene 2 were collected from 109 cyprinid species and four non-cyprinid cypriniform outgroup taxa and used to infer the cyprinid phylogenetic relationships and to estimate node divergence times. Phylogenetic reconstructions using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis retrieved the same clades, only branching order within these clades varied slightly between trees. Although the morphological diversity is remarkable, the endemic cyprinid taxa in East Asia emerged as a monophyletic clade referred to as Xenocypridini. The monophyly for the subfamilies including Cyprininae and Leuciscinae, as well as the tribes including Labeonini, Gobionini, Acheilognathini, and Leuciscini, was also well resolved with high nodal support. Analysis of the RAG2 gene supported the following cyprinid molecular phylogeny: the Danioninae is the most basal subfamily within the family Cyprinidae and the Cyprininae is the sister group of the Leuciscinae. The divergence times were estimated for the nodes corresponding to the principal clades within the Cyprinidae. The family Cyprinidae appears to have originated in the mid-Eocene in Asia, with the cladogenic event of the key basal group Danioninae occurring in the early Oligocene (about 31-30 MYA), and the origins of the two subfamilies, Cyprininae and Leuciscinae, occurring in the mid-Oligocene (around 26 MYA). (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of incubation temperatures on embryonic development in the Asian yellow pond turtle

The Asian yellow pond turtle, Mauremys mutica (Cantor), is a potential aquaculture target in China owing to the higher values for food and remedy than other species of turtle. In this study, color and morphological changes of fertilized eggs were observed during embryogenesis, and the effects of incubation temperature on embryonic development were analyzed. Both calcium layer and membrane layer are thicker in the middle portion of egg-shell than that in the terminal portion, and become thinner after embryo hatching than before embryonic development. Significant change in the white spot and subsequent white ring on the eggshell occurs during embryonic development. Of five different incubation temperatures used to investigate the effects of incubation temperatures on embryonic development, 29.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C was optimal for embryo survival and development. Moreover, the incubation temperature of 33.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C was harmful effect to embryonic development. The data provide important and useful information for husbandry and management of the Asian yellow pond turtle. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Akrokolioplax, a new genus of Southeast Asian labeonine fishes (Teleostei : Cyprinidae)

Akrokolioplax, new genus, is erected for the reception of Epalzeorhynchos bicornis Wu, 1977. It shares with the remaining species of Epalzeorhynchos what have usually been called "rostral lateral lobes" on the snout, which are non-homologous structures used to distinguish the two genera from all other Labeoninae genera. Akrokolioplax and Epalzeorhynchos differ in the position and structure of these lobes, and also in the morphology of the oromandibular structures. A detailed redescription is also provided for the type species of this monotypic genus, A. bicornis. It is presently known from the upper Salween River (=Nu Jiang in Chinese) basin in Yunnan (South China), Myanmar and Thailand.

First description of the male and redescription of the female of Philometra clavaeceps Dogiel and Akhmerov, 1959 (Nematoda : Philometridae), a parasite of east Asian cyprinid fish

The first description of the male and a redescription of the female of the nematode Philometra clavaeceps Dogiel and Akhmerov, 1959, a parasite of east Asian cyprinids, are presented on the basis of specimens collected from Culter erythropterus Basilewsky and Culler dabryi Bleeker from Liangzi Lake (the Yangtze River basin), Hubei Province, central China. Gravid females from the fish abdominal cavity, penetrating often into ovaries, occurred in May-June, whereas conspecific males and young mature females on the swimbladder were recorded in January. Philometra clavaeceps seems to have a pronounced annual maturation cycle in the locality. The finding of P. clavaeceps in C. dabryi represents a new host record.

Phylogeny of the East Asian botiine loaches (Cypriniformes, Botiidae) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences

The Botiinae have traditionally represented a subfamily of the Cobitidae. At present, the classification and phylogenetic relationships of the Botiinae are controversial. To address systematic and phylogenetic questions concerning this group, we sequenced the complete cytochrome b gene from 34 samples, of which 24 represented 13 species of the East Asian botiine fishes, while the other 10 were non-botiine loach species. For the 1140 bp sequences determined, 494 sites were variable ones, of which 424 were parsimony informative. With Myxocyprinus asiaticus as an outgroup, molecular phylogenetic trees were constructed using the neighbor-joining, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. All molecular phylogenetic trees revealed that botiine fishes form a monophyletic group and are distantly related to other loaches, suggesting that the Botiinae should be placed in their own family. Within the Botiinae, there are three genera; Botia, Parabotia, and Leptobotia, each genus forming a monophyletic group, with the genus Botia as the most ancestral split. Our molecular results are in agreement with morphological analyses of botiines, suggesting that Botia is the ancestral genus, while Leptobotia and Parabotia were resolved as more derived sister groups.

Molecular phylogenetic relationships of Eastern Asian Cyprinidae (Pisces : Cypriniformes) inferred from cytochrome b sequences

Complete mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of 54 species, including 18 newly sequenced, were analyzed to infer the phylogenetic relationships within the family Cyprinidae in East Asia. Phylogenetic trees were generated using various tree-building methods, including Neighbor-joining (NJ), Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods, with Myxocyprinus asiaticus (family Catostomidae) as the designated outgroup. The results from NJ and ML methods were mostly similar, supporting some existing subfamilies within Cyprinidae as monophyletic, such as Cultrinae, Xenocyprinae and Gobioninae (including Gobiobotinae). However, genera within the subfamily "Danioninae" did not form a monophyletic group. The subfamily Leuciscinae was divided into two unrelated groups: the "Leuciscinae" in East Asia forming as a monophyletic group together with Cultrinae and Xenocyprinae, while the Leuciscinae in Europe, Siberia, and North America as another monophyletic group. The monophyly of subfamily Cyprininae sensu Howes was supported by NJ and ML trees and is basal in the tree. The position of Acheilognathinae, a widely accepted monophyletic group represented by Rhodeus sericeus, was not resolved.

Phylogeny of the East Asian cyprinids inferred from sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region

With 210 genera and 2010 species, Cyprinidae is the largest freshwater fish family in the world. Several papers, based on morphological and molecular data, have been published and have led to some solid conclusions, such as the close relationships between North American phoxinins and European leuciscins. However, the relationships among major subgroups of this family are still not well resolved, especially for those East Asian groups. In the present paper, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, 896-956 base pairs, of 17 representative species of East Asian cyprinids was sequenced and compared with those of 21 other cyprinids to study their phylogenetic relationships. After alignment, there were 1051 sites. The comparison between pairwise substitutions and HKY distances showed that the mtDNA control region was suitable for phylogenetic study. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that there are two principal lineages in Cyprinidae: Cyprinine and Leuciscine. In Cyprinine, the relationships could be a basal Labeoinae, an intermediate Cyprininae, and a diversified Barbinae (including Schizothroaxinae). In Leuciscine, Rasborinae is at the basal position; Gobioninae and Leuciscinae are sister groups; the East Asian cultrin-xenocyprinin taxa form a large monophyletic group with some small affiliated groups; and the positions of Acheilognathinae and Tincinae are still uncertain.

Sequence analysis of cytochrome b gene indicates that East Asian group of cyprinid subfamily Leuciscinae (Teleostei : Cyprinidae) evolved independently

The sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of cyprinid subfamily Leuciscinae are analyzed. Phylogenetic trees generated with methods of neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony with Phenacogrammus as an outgroup indicate that Leuciscinae is not a monophyletic group but includes two discrete subgroups. The East Asian group of the subfamily Leuciscinae, including the genera Ctenopharyngodon, Elopichthys, Luciobrama, Mylopharyngodon, Ochetobius, and Squaliobarbus, is close to Aristichthys and Hypophthalmichthys, and they form a monophyletic group which is distant from the leuciscine genera in Europe, Siberia and North America, such as Phoxinus, Leuciscus, Abramis, Rutilus, Chondrostoma, Alburnus, Opsopoedus, Lythrurus, and Pimephales. Our study suggests that the diversified East Asian group of the subfamily Leuciscinae should have an independent origination.

Mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence variations and phylogeny of the East Asian bagrid catfishes

The mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene was sequenced from 8 bagrid catfishes in China. Aligned with cytochrome b sequences from 9 bagrid catfishes in Japan, Korea and Russia retrieved from GenBank, and selected Silurus meridionalis, Liobagrus anguillicauda, Liobagrus reini and Phenacogrammus interruptus as outgroups, we constructed a matrix of 21 DNA sequences. The Kimura's two-parameter distances were calculated and molecule phylogenetic trees were constructed by using the maximum parsimony (MP) and neighbor-joining (NJ) methods. The results show that (i) there exist 3-bp deletions of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene compared with cypriniforms and characiforms; (ii) the molecular phylogenetic tree suggests that bagrid catfishes form a monophyletic group, and the genus Mystus is the earliest divergent in the East Asian bagrid catfishes, as well as the genus Pseudobagrus is a monophyletic group but the genus Pelteobagrus and Leiocassis are complicated; and 60 the evolution rate of the East Asian bagrids mitochondrial cytochrome b gene is about 0.18%-0.30% sequence divergence per million years.