Open AccessMolecular phylogeny and zoogeography of the freshwater crayfish genus Cherax Erichson (Decapoda: Parastacidae) in Australia
Author(s) -
MUNASINGHE D. H. N.,
BURRIDGE C. P.,
AUSTIN C. M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2003.00299.x
Subject(s) - biology , crayfish , biological dispersal , biogeography , ecology , zoogeography , phylogeography , phylogenetic tree , vicariance , molecular clock , molecular phylogenetics , genus , zoology , taxon , population , demography , sociology , biochemistry , gene
The evolutionary history and biogeography of freshwater‐dependent taxa in Australia is of intrinsic interest given the present‐day aridity of this continent. Cherax is the most widespread and one of the most species‐rich of Australia's nine freshwater crayfish genera. The phylogenetic relationships amongst 19 of the 23 Australian Cherax were established from mitochondrial DNA sequences representing the 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA gene regions. The relationships among species support an initial east–west separation, followed by a north–south divergence in eastern Australia. Molecular clock estimations suggest that these divergences date back to the Miocene. The phylogenetic relationships support endemic speciation within geographical regions and indicate that long‐distance dispersal has not led to recent speciation as previously hypothesized. This new evolutionary scenario is consistent with the climatic history of Australia and the evolutionary history of other similarly distributed freshwater‐dependent organisms in Australia. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 81 , 553–563.