Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the marine shrimp Penaeus

The evolutionary relationships among 13 species representing all six subgenera of the shrimp genus Penaeus were examined using 558 bp of mitochondrial (mt) DNA from the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Analyses of this sequence revealed high genetic divergence between species (d = 8-24%), a finding which contrasts with previous work, which indicated that genetic diversity, based on electrophoretic analysis of allozymes, was extremely low in Penaeus. Three tree-building methods (maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and maximum likelihood) were concordant in indicating that current subgenera assignments do not reflect evolutionary partitions within the genus Penaeus. While the molecular phylogenies cast doubt on the validity of subgenera, the observed relationships are concordant with biogeographic boundaries across the tropical range of Penaeus. Both the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific contain monophyletic species pairs which cluster together in all analyses. The Indo-Pacific contains a putative basal taxa (P. indicus), the deepest mtDNA lineages, and the highest diversity, including representatives of all three primary lineages observed in Penaeus. These data are consistent with the suggestion by Dall et al. (1990) that Penaeus arose in the Indo-Pacific and radiated eastward and westward to account for the current circumtropical distribution of the genus. This phylogenetic framework for Penaeus will enhance the scientific foundations for wildlife resource management and breeding experiments (hybridization and related manipulations) designed to improve the commercial value of captive strains.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Korean woodroaches Cryptocercus spp

Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Northeast Asian Cryptocercus were inferred based on the DNA sequences of mitochondrial COII and 16S rRNA genes and nuclear 18S rRNA gene. The results suggest that two clades exist in Korean populations. The southwestern population (Cryptocercus from Jiri-san) was more closely related to the populations from Northeast China and eastern Russia than to all the other Korean Cryptocercus. According to molecular-based estimated divergence times, the divergence event occurred between Cryptocercus in Jiri-san, Northeast China and eastern Russia and those in the remaining South Korea during the Miocene (7.5-17.4Myr ago), and then the divergence event between Cryptocercus in Jiri-san and those in Northeast China and eastern Russia occurred 0.8-1.9Myr ago. In the Korean Peninsula, Jiri-san is located in the most southwestern region among the high mountains surveyed. The location is the farthest from Northeast China and eastern Russia among sampling localities in South Korea. Thus, it was unexpected that the southwestern populations are more closely related to those from Northeast China and eastern Russia rather than to the other Korean Cryptocercus. Based on Korean topography and estimated divergence times, possible scenarios are proposed for the current geographical distribution of Korean Cryptocercus.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Malagasy frogs of the genus Gephyromantis

The genus Gephyromantis is a clade within the Malagasy-Comoroan family Mantellidae composed of rainforest frogs that live and breed to varying degrees independently from water. Based on DNA sequences of five mitochondrial and five nuclear genes we inferred the phylogeny of these frogs with full taxon coverage at the species level. Our preferred consensus tree from a partitioned Bayesian analysis of 5843 base pairs of 51 nominal and candidate species supports various major clades within the genus although the basal relationships among these remain unresolved. The data provide strong evidence for the monophyly of the subgenera Gephyromantis (after exclusion of Gephyromantis klemmeri), Laurentomantis, Vatomantis, and Phylacomantis. Species assigned to the subgenus Duboimantis belong to two strongly supported clades of uncertain relationships. G. klemmeri, previously in the subgenus Gephyromantis, was placed with high support sister to the Laurentomantis clade, and the Laurentomantis + G. klemmeri clade was sister to Vatomantis. A reconstruction of ancestral distribution areas indicates a diversification of several subgenera in the northern biogeographic regions of Madagascar and the dispersal out of northern Madagascar for several clades.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the fern genus Pteris (Pteridaceae)

Background and Aims

Pteris (Pteridaceae), comprising over 250 species, had been thought to be a monophyletic genus until the three monotypic genera Neurocallis, Ochropteris and Platyzoma were included. However, the relationships between the type species of the genus Pteris, P. longifolia, and other species are still unknown. Furthermore, several infrageneric morphological classifications have been proposed, but are debated. To date, no worldwide phylogenetic hypothesis has been proposed for the genus, and no comprehensive biogeographical history of Pteris, crucial to understanding its cosmopolitan distribution, has been presented.

Methods

A molecular phylogeny of Pteris is presented for 135 species, based on cpDNA rbcL and matK and using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference approaches. The inferred phylogeny was used to assess the biogeographical history of Pteris and to reconstruct the evolution of one ecological and four morphological characters commonly used for infrageneric classifications.

Key Results

The monophyly of Pteris remains uncertain, especially regarding the relationship of Pteris with Actiniopteris + Onychium and Platyzoma. Pteris comprises 11 clades supported by combinations of ecological and morphological character states, but none of the characters used in previous classifications were found to be exclusive synapomorphies. The results indicate that Pteris diversified around 47 million years ago, and when species colonized new geographical areas they generated new lineages, which are associated with morphological character transitions.

Conclusions

This first phylogeny of Pteris on a global scale and including more than half of the diversity of the genus should contribute to a new, more reliable infrageneric classification of Pteris, based not only on a few morphological characters but also on ecological traits and geographical distribution. The inferred biogeographical history highlights long-distance dispersal as a major process shaping the worldwide distribution of the species. Colonization of different niches was followed by subsequent morphological diversification. Dispersal events followed by allopatric and parapatric speciation contribute to the species diversity of Pteris.     

The uneven phylogeny and biogeography of Erodium (Geraniaceae): radiations in the Mediterranean and recent recurrent intercontinental colonization

Background and Aims

The genus Erodium is a common feature of Mediterranean-type climates throughout the world, but the Mediterranean Basin has significantly higher diversity than other areas. The aim here is to reveal the biogeographical history of the genus and the causes behind the evolution of the uneven distribution.

Methods

Seventy-eight new nrITS sequences were incorporated with existing plastid data to explore the phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Erodium using several reconstruction methods. Divergence times for major clades were calculated and contrasted with other previously published information. Furthermore, topological and temporal diversification rate shift analyses were employed using these data.

Key Results

Phylogenetic relationships among species are widely congruent with previous plastid reconstructions, which refute the classical taxonomical classification. Biogeographical reconstructions point to Asia as the ancestral area of Erodium, arising approx. 18 MYA. Four incidences of intercontinental dispersal from the Mediterranean Basin to similar climates are demonstrated. Increases in diversification were present in two independent Erodium lineages concurrently. Two bursts of diversification (3 MYA and 0·69 MYA) were detected only in the Mediterranean flora.

Conclusions

Two lineages diverged early in the evolution of the genus Erodium: (1) subgenus Erodium plus subgenus Barbata subsection Absinthioidea and (2) the remainder of subgenus Barbata. Dispersal across major water bodies, although uncommon, has had a major influence on the distribution of this genus and is likely to have played as significant role as in other, more easily dispersed, genera. Establishment of Mediterranean climates has facilitated the spread of the genus and been crucial in its diversification. Two, independent, rapid radiations in response to the onset of drought and glacial climate change indicate putative adaptive radiations in the genus.     

Molecular probes of phylogeny and biogeography in toads of the widespread genus Bufo

Genetic relationships among 25 species of Central and South American Bufo and among representative North, Central, and South American, Asian, and African Bufo were probed, using the quantitative immunological technique of microcomplement fixation (MC'F) which indicated a clear separation of North, Central, and South American lineages of Bufo. The South American lineage likely diverged from the Central and North American lineages in the Eocene; the latter two lineages diverged later, probably in the mid-Oligocene. Some species groups of South American toads, defined on the basis of traditional morphological studies, are genetically quite similar within groups, whereas others are genetically divergent. The amount of albumin evolution does not appear to parallel the amount of karyotypic, morphological, ecological, or behavioral evolution documented. Comparisons suggest that the African lineages separated from the American and Asian lineages in the late Cretaceous, corresponding to the time of the final separation of Gondwanaland, the southern supercontinent including the modern continents of South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, and India. The Asian lineages diverged from the lineage giving rise to all of the American species in the early Paleocene.      

Molecular phylogeny of the Magnoliaceae: the biogeography of tropical and temperate disjunctions

The boreotropical flora concept suggests that relictual tropical disjunctions between Asia and the Americas are a result of the expansion of the circumboreal tropical flora from the middle to the close of the Eocene. Subsequently, temperate species diverged at high latitudes and migrated to other continents. To test this concept, we conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis (using cpDNA) of the Magnoliaceae, a former boreotropical element that currently contains both tropical and temperate disjuncts. Divergence times of the clades were estimated using sequences of matK and two intergenic regions consisting of psbA-trnH and atpB-rbcL. Results indicate the tropical American section Talauma branched first, followed by the tropical Asian clade and the West Indies clade. Within the remaining taxa, two temperate disjunctions were formed. Assuming the temperate disjunction of Magnolia acuminata and Asian relatives occurred 25 mya (late Oligocene; based on seed fossil records), section Talauma diverged 42 mya (mid-Eocene), and tropical Asian and the West Indies clades 36 mya (late Eocene). These events correlate with cooling temperatures during the middle to late Eocene and probably caused the tropical disjunctions.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau endemic Nannoglottis (Asteraceae)

All taxa endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are hypothesized to have originated in situ or from immediately adjacent areas because of the relatively recent formation of the plateau since the Pliocene, followed by the large-scaled biota extinction and recession caused by the Quaternary ice sheet. However, identification of specific progenitors remains difficult for some endemics, especially some endemic genera. Nannoglottis, with about eight species endemic to this region, is one such genus. Past taxonomic treatments have suggested its relationships with four different tribes of Asteraceae. We intend to identify the closest relatives of Nannoglottis by evaluating the level of monophyly, tribal delimitation, and systematic position of the genus by using molecular data from ndhF gene, trnL-F, and ITS region sequences. We find that all sampled species of Nannoglottis are a well-defined monophyly. This supports all recent taxonomic treatments of Nannoglottis, in which all sampled species were placed in one broadly re-circumscribed genus. Nannoglottis is most closely related to the Astereae, but stands as an isolated genus as the first diverging lineage of the tribe, without close relatives. A tentative relationship was suggested for Nannoglottis and the next lineage of the tribe was based on the ITS topology, the "basal group," which consists of seven genera from the Southern Hemisphere. Such a relationship is supported by some commonly shared plesiomorphic morphological characters. Despite the very early divergence of Nannoglottis in the Astereae, the tribe must be regarded to have its origin in Southern Hemisphere rather than in Asia, because based on all morphological, molecular, biogeographical, and fossil data, the Asteraceae and its major lineages (tribes) are supposed to have originated in the former area. Long-distance dispersal using Southeast Asia as a steppingstone from Southern Hemisphere to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the most likely explanation for this unusual biogeographic link of Nannoglottis. The 23-32-million-year divergence time between Nannoglottis and the other Astereae estimated by DNA sequences predated the formation of the plateau. This estimation is further favored by the fossil record of the Asteraceae and the possible time of origin of the Astereae. Nannoglottis seems to have reached the Qinghai-Tibet area in the Oligocene-Eocene and then re-diversified with the uplift of the plateau. The molecular infragenetic phylogeny of the genus identifies two distinct clades, which reject the earlier infrageneric classification based on the arrangement of the involucral bracts and the length of the ligules, but agree well with the habits and ecological preferences of its current species. The "alpine shrub" vs. "coniferous forest" divergence within Nannoglottis was estimated at about 3.4 million years ago when the plateau began its first large-scale uplifting and the coniferous vegetation began to appear. Most of the current species at the "coniferous forest" clade of the genus are estimated to have originated from 1.02 to 1.94 million years ago, when the second and third uprisings of the plateau occurred, the climate oscillated and the habitats were strongly changed. The assumed evolution, speciation diversity, and radiation of Nannoglottis based on molecular phylogeny and divergence times agree well with the known geological and paleobotanical histories of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of West Indian toads (Anura: Bufonidae)

Toads of the Bufo peltocephalus Group (Anura: Bufonidae) occur throughout the Greater Antilles (Cuba to the Virgin Islands), a geographic region of relatively high endemicity. Previous morphological and immunological studies suggested that the West Indian toads are a monophyletic lineage derived from Neotropical Bufo but were unable to clarify relationships within the group. We examined the evolutionary relationships and biogeography of this group of frogs by collecting approximately 2 kb of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from eight West Indian species and selected non-West Indian species from the New World and the Old World. Our analyses support the monophyly of native West Indian toads and a New World origin for the group. Relationships among the West Indian species are less certain, but a Cuban lineage is defined in most analyses.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the wall-lizard Podarcis erhardii (Squamata: Lacertidae)

Erhard's wall lizard, Podarcis erhardii (Sauria: Lacertidae), is highly diversified in Greece and especially in the southern Aegean region. Out of the 28 recognized subspecies, 27 are found in Greece from the North Sporades island-complex in the North Aegean (grossly south of the 39th parallel) to the island of Crete in the South. The species exhibits great morphological and ecological plasticity and inhabits many different habitats from rocky islets and sandy shores to mountaintops as high as 2000m. By examining intraspecific variability at a segment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b we have found that that extant populations of P. erhardii are paraphyletic. Furthermore, we have found that subspecies previously defined on the basis of morphological characteristics do not correspond to different molecular phylogenetic clades, so that their status should be reconsidered. The DNA based biogeographical and phylogenetic history of Podarcis in Southern Greece is congruent with available paleogeographic data of the region, which supports the view that DNA sequences may be a useful tool for the study of palaeogeography.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Kinosternon flavescens based on complete mitochondrial control region sequences

Nucleotide sequences for the complete mitochondrial control region (1158 bp) were used to determine the phylogenetic relationships among populations of the yellow mud turtle, Kinosternon flavescens (Kinosternidae). Phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA sequences reveals a polyphyletic K. flavescens with three distinct clades: (1) K. flavescens of the Central Plains, including isolated populations of Illinois and Iowa, (2) K. arizonense in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and Mexico, and (3) K. durangoense in the Chihuahuan Desert of Durango, Coahuila, and Chihuahua, Mexico. Sequence divergence and nucleotide diversity calculations support a hypothesis of Great Plains K. flavescens dispersal and subsequent isolation of populations in the Midwest related to climatic change during the Pleistocene.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the endemic Hawaiian Succineidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata)

The endemic Hawaiian Succineidae represent an important component of the exceptionally diverse land snail fauna of the Hawaiian Islands, yet they remain largely unstudied. We employed 663-bp fragments of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial gene to investigate the evolution and biogeography of 13 Hawaiian succineid land snail species, six succineid species from other Pacific islands and Japan, and various outgroup taxa. Results suggest that: (1) species from the island of Hawaii are paraphyletic with species from Tahiti, and this clade may have had a Japanese (or eastern Asian) origin; (2) species from five of the remaining main Hawaiian islands form a monophyletic group, and the progression rule, which states that species from older islands are basal to those from younger islands, is partially supported; no geographic origin could be inferred for this clade; (3) succineids from Samoa are basal to all other succineids sampled (maximum likelihood) or unresolved with respect to the other succineid clades (maximum parsimony); (4) the genera Succinea and Catinella are polyphyletic. These results, while preliminary, represent the first attempt to reconstruct the phylogenetic pattern for this important component of the endemic Hawaiian fauna.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Honey‐buzzards (genera Pernis and Henicopernis)

A partial sequence of the cytb gene (382 bp) was amplified and sequenced from 35 individuals (mainly museum specimens) of the genus Pernis representing all valid taxa (10) and two taxa (P. p. gurneyi, P. p. japonicus) with questionable validity as well as representatives of the Old World Perninae, namely Henicopernis and Aviceda, to assess their relationships to the genus Pernis. Furthermore, Gypaetus barbatus, Neophron percnopterus, and Buteo buteo were included as outgroup taxa. In the trees derived from the sequence data, Aviceda represents the sister group of the genus Pernis. The genus Henicopernis and the Old World vultures Gypaetus andNeophron appear rather distantly related to Pernis. Within the genus Pernis, two of the described species (Pernis apivorus, Pernis ptilorhyncus) form monophyletic groups, whereas the relationships of the two clades representing three subspecies of Pernis celebensis are still uncertain. Although this study is based on comparatively short DNA‐sections, the trees deduced from these sequences can be considered as a first approach for inferring the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Pernis and related genera and for addressing questions concerning the evolutionary history, biogeography, and systematics of this group.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Erithalis (Rubiaceae), an endemic of the Caribbean Basin

 Erithalis consists of 8–10 species endemic to the Caribbean Basin. DNA sequences of chloroplast (trnF-trnL) and nuclear non-coding spacers (ITS and ETS) indicate that Erithalis is monophyletic. ETS was the most informative marker, resolving some interspecific relationships. Analyses of the combined data revealed two weakly supported clades: one composed of E. fruticosa and E. nk;harrisii, and a sister clade of the remaining species. Since fossil records indicate the presence of Erithalis-like pollen from the Eocene Gatuncillo Formation of Panama, it is possible that an initial colonization may have been from Central America. Through trans-oceanic dispersal, most likely by birds, Erithalis colonized the Caribbean islands. Some of the inter-island colonizations were accompanied by speciation and low molecular divergence, supporting a recent radiation across these islands. Received October 3, 2001; accepted March 4, 2002 Published online: November 7, 2002 Address of the authors: Vivian Negrón-Ortiz (e-mail: negronv@muohio.edu), Linda E. Watson, Department of Botany, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA.     

Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Holarctic wetland leaf beetle of the genus Plateumaris

Leaf beetles of the genus Plateumaris inhabit wetlands across the temperate zone of the Holarctic region. To explore the phylogeographic relationships among North American, East Asian, and European members of this genus and the origin of the species endemic to Japan, we studied the molecular phylogeny of 20 of the 27 species in this genus using partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and the 16S and nuclear 28S rRNA genes. The molecular phylogeny revealed that three species endemic to Europe are monophyletic and sister to the remaining 11 North American and six Asian species. Within the latter clade, North American and Asian species did not show reciprocal monophyly. Dispersal-vicariance analysis and divergence time estimation revealed that the European and North America-Asian lineages diverged during the Eocene. Moreover, subsequent differentiation occurred repeatedly between North American and Asian species, which was facilitated by three dispersal events from North America to Asia and one in the opposite direction during the late Eocene through the late Miocene. Two Japanese endemics originated from different divergence events; one differentiated from the mainland lineage after differentiation from the North American lineage, whereas the other showed a deep coalescence from the North American lineage with no present-day sister species on the East Asian mainland. This study of extant insects provides molecular phylogenetic evidence for ancient vicariance between Europe and East Asia-North America, and for more recent (but pre-Pleistocene) faunal exchanges between East Asia and North America.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of spring-associated hydrobiid snails of the Great Artesian Basin, Australia

The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) of Australia underlies some of the driest parts of South Australia and Queensland and feeds numerous freshwater springs. Prominent and endangered components of the GAB spring community are snails of the family Hydrobiidae. This paper examines the evolutionary relationships of the entire hydrobiid fauna associated with the GAB, and includes appropriate non-GAB species to place the GAB fauna in a broader phylogenetic context. The Queensland genus Jardinella is a focus of this paper, providing a fine scale examination of relationships between spring supergroups in the northeastern regions of the GAB. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses performed on 16S, CO1, and combined sequence data from 40 hydrobiid taxa found four major clades of Australian taxa. The analysis revealed that at least three separate colonization events of the GAB spring fauna have occurred. Two of these are represented by considerable radiations, (1) Jardinella to the north and east and (2) Caldicochlea, Fonscochlea, and possibly Trochidrobia in South Australia. The phylogenetic position of the latter is uncertain so it may represent yet another invasion. The third definite invasion is represented by a single species of the speciose SE Australian genus Austropyrgus in the Dalhousie Springs in South Australia. Jardinella is found to be monophyletic, and with one exception, its members in each of the Queensland spring supergroups are found to be monophyletic.     

Molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography of the Anatolian lizard Apathya (Squamata,Lacertidae)

Apathya is a lacertid genus occurring mainly in south-east Turkey and its adjacent regions (part of Iran and Iraq). So far two morphological species have been attributed to the genus; A. cappadocica (with five subspecies, A. c. cappadocica, A. c. muhtari, A. c. schmidtlerorum, A. c. urmiana and A. c. wolteri) and A. yassujica. The first species occupies most of the genus’ distribution range, while A. yassujica is endemic of the Zagros Mountains. Here, we explored Apathya’s taxonomy and investigated the evolutionary history of the species by employing phylogenetic and phylogeographic approaches and using both mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear markers. The phylogenetic relationships and the genetic distances retrieved, revealed that Apathya is a highly variable genus, which parallels its high morphological variation. Such levels of morphological and genetic differentiation often exceed those between species of other Lacertini genera that are already treated as full species, suggesting the necessity for a taxonomic revision of Apathya. The phylogeographical scenario emerging from the genetic data suggests that the present distribution of the genus was determined by a combination of dispersal and vicariance events between Anatolia and Southwest Asia dating back to the Miocene and continuing up to the Pleistocene. Key geological events for the understanding of the phylogeography of the genus are the movement of the Arabian plate that led to the configuration of Middle East (orogenesis of the mountain ranges of Turkey and Iran) and the formation of Anatolian Diagonal.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of Oriental voles: genus Eothenomys (Muridae, Mammalia)

Oriental voles of the genus Eothenomys are predominantly distributed along the Southeastern shoulder of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Based on phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1143 bp) obtained from 23 specimens (eight species) of Oriental voles collected from this area, together with nucleotide sequences from six specimens (two species) of Japanese red-backed voles (Eothenomys andersoni and Eothenomys smithii) and five species of the closely related genus Clethrionomys, we revised the systematic status of Eothenomys. We also tested if vicariance could explain the observed high species diversity in this area by correlating estimated divergence times to species distribution patterns and corresponding paleo-geographic events. Our results suggest that: (1) the eight species of Oriental voles form a monophyletic group with two distinct clades, and that these two clades should be considered as valid subgenera--Eothenomys and Anteliomys; (2) Eothenomys eleusis and Eothenomys miletus are not independent species; (3) Japanese red-backed voles are more closely related to the genus Clethrionomys than to continental Asian Eothenomys taxa; and (4) the genus Clethrionomys, as presently defined, is paraphyletic. In addition, the process of speciation of Oriental voles appears to be related to the Trans-Himalayan formation via three recent uplift events of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau within the last 3.6 million years, as well as to the effects of the mid-Quaternary ice age.     

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of tribe anthemideae (Asteraceae), based on chloroplast gene ndhF

Anthemideae (Asteraceae) is primarily a north temperate, Old World tribe of 109 genera and approximately 1740 species. We sequenced a 1200-bp portion of chloroplast gene ndhF for representative genera and subtribes and constructed a phylogeny for the tribe. There is support for monophyly of subtribes Chrysantheminae and Gonosperminae and for portions of some subtribes. However, our molecular phylogeny differs significantly from traditional classifications and from previously published morphological phylogenies of the tribe. Many South African genera from several different subtribes form a basal grade, indicating multiple, relictual lineages. Eurasian genera form a recently derived clade that includes the Mediterranean genera of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. There is little resolution or support for the placement of eastern Asian genera. Apparently, the tribe originated in the Southern Hemisphere, presumably in Africa, with the Eurasian and Mediterranean members being derived from a common ancestor.     

Molecular systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of roaches (Rutilus, Teleostei, Cyprinidae)

In this study we used sequence data from the entire mtDNA cytochrome b gene to reconstruct patterns and times of diversification in the roach genus Rutilus. The genus is present with numerous endemic species in the Eastern peri-Mediterranean area and with a few widespread species in Central Europe. Our phylogenetic results do not support the subdivision into two subgenera proposed on morphological grounds. Within R. pigus and R. rutilus we identify highly divergent and allopatric mitochondrial lineages. The deeper splits in the genus phylogeny date back to the middle Miocene; the main diversification took place at the Miocene-Pliocene boundary.