Premium
Molecular phylogeny of the three paedomorphic mediterranean gobies (Perciformes: Gobiidae)
Author(s) -
Giovannotti Massimo,
Cerioni Paola Nisi,
La Mesa Mario,
Caputo Vincenzo
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of experimental zoology part b: molecular and developmental evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-5015
pISSN - 1552-5007
DOI - 10.1002/jez.b.21192
Subject(s) - neoteny , biology , goby , polyphyly , heterochrony , zoology , phylogenetic tree , pelagic zone , evolutionary biology , perciformes , molecular phylogenetics , synapomorphy , ecology , clade , fishery , genetics , gene , ontogeny , fish <actinopterygii>
Pelagic gobies are considered of particular zoological interest because the acquisition of a pelagic lifestyle is achieved through the persistence of larval anatomical features. The Mediterranean Sea is inhabited by three goby species ( Aphia minuta , Crystallogobius linearis and Pseudaphya ferreri ) characterized by paedomorphic traits. Owing to the shared larval morphological features, these species have generally been considered as a monophyletic group. This study aimed at establishing the phylogenetic relationships of these paedomorphic species within the family Gobiidae to ascertain whether the pelagic lifestyle achieved through paedomorphosis is due to an event that took place in a common ancestor or not. For this purpose, we amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced the mitochondrial 12S rDNA (complete sequence) and 16S rDNA (partial sequence) of 15 Mediterranean gobies. The phylogenetic analysis strongly supported the polyphyletic origin of the three paedomorphic gobies, indicating that the heterochronic change leading to the retention of larval features seems to have occurred independently in the ancestors of these species. Thus, the sharing of morphological traits can be considered homoplasious and the classification of these species in the same taxonomic group is rejected on the basis of molecular data. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 308B:722–729, 2007 . © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.