Phylogeographic structure of the dwarf snakehead (Channa gachua) around Gulf of Tonkin: Historical biogeography and pronounced effects of sea‐level changes

Geological events, landscape features, and climate fluctuations have shaped the distribution of genetic diversity and evolutionary history in freshwater fish, but little attention has been paid to that around the Gulf of Tonkin; therefore, we investigated the phylogeographic structure of the dwarf snakehead (Channa gachua) on Hainan Island and mainland China, as well as two populations in Vietnam. We attempted to elucidate the origins of freshwater fish in South Hainan by incorporating genetic data from DNA markers on both the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cyt b) and the nuclear recombination‐activating gene 1 (RAG‐1). Mitochondrial phylogenetic analysis identified two major lineages (lineages A and B), which may represent separate species. Divergence data suggested that C. gachua populations diverged between 0.516 and 2.376 myr. The divergence of the two cryptic species is congruent with sea‐level rise, which subsequently isolated Hainan from the mainland. During the Pleistocene glaciations, the entire region of the Gulf of Tonkin and the Qiongzhou Strait became part of the coastal plain of the Asian continent, which might have resulted in the current distribution patterns and dispersal routes of C. gachua populations. The formation of three sublineages in lineage A indicated that the Gulf of Tonkin was a geographical barrier between Hainan Island and mainland China but not between Vietnam and Hainan Island. The results of this study may help to elucidate the origins of freshwater fish in South Hainan and the phylogeographic structure of C. gachua.