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Across the Southern Alps by river capture? Freshwater fish phylogeography in South Island, New Zealand
Author(s) -
Waters Jonathan M.,
Wallis Graham P.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.01035.x
Subject(s) - phylogeography , biology , monophyly , freshwater fish , ecology , mtdna control region , phylogenetic tree , genetic algorithm , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , clade , biochemistry , gene , genotype , haplotype
We used DNA analysis of galaxiid fish to test a hypothesis of localized headwater capture in South Island, New Zealand. The restricted western, but widespread eastern, distributions of three nonmigratory freshwater fish species suggest that part of the east‐flowing Waiau River has been captured by the west‐flowing Buller River. However, mitochondrial control region (Kimura 2‐parameter distance = 4.1–5.4%) and microsatellite flanking sequences do not support a relationship between Waiau ( N = 4 fish sequences) and western populations ( N = 8) of Galaxias vulgaris . Instead, the point of capture is probably to the north‐east, perhaps the Nelson lakes region. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that western populations, along with populations in the north‐east ( N = 18), represent a previously unidentified monophyletic Evolutionarily Significant Unit, possibly a cryptic species. We suggest a general caveat for zoogeographic conclusions based on distributional data alone.