Vol. 59, 2020

(update: 2020.10.29; 11.30)
 

Phylogeography of Triplophysa stenura (Nemacheilidae): Responded to the Mid-Pleistocene Climate Transition in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Jiaxin Hu^1,2, Mingdian Liu^3,*, and Dekui He^1,*

¹The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China. *Correspondence: E-mail: hedekui@ihb.ac.cn (He)
E-mail: hujiaxin@ihb.ac.cn (Hu)
²University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
³Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Fishery Science, Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Fishery and Environment in the Upper and Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan, Hubei 430223, China. *Correspondence: E-mail: liumd@yfi.ac.cn (Liu)

Received 18 July 2020 / Accepted 22 October 2020
Communicated by Hin-Kiu Mok

Pleistocene climatic oscillations have greatly influenced the evolutionary histories and distribution patterns of most extant species. In this study, the phylogeographic patterns and evolutionary history of Triplophysa stenura were investigated. A total of 359 individuals from 19 locations covering the species’ distribution range were collected, and two mitochondrial genes (COI and Cyt b) and the recombination activating protein 1 gene (Rag1) were analyzed. Two deeply divergent lineages, corresponding geographically to the northern and southern Tanggula Mountain, were observed, and shallow divergences were found within the southern and central Qinghai-Tibetan plateau (QTP). The estimated divergence time between the northern and southern Tanggula lineages was around 1.07 Mya. Within the southern Tanggula Mountain lineages, the Nu and Subansiri rivers populations were split about 0.74 Mya, and the southwestern and central QTP populations were divided with the southeastern QTP ones approximately 0.67 Mya. The divergence times of the lineages were matched with two major glaciations in QTP (the Xixiabangma Glaciation, 1.17–0.80 Mya and Kunlun Glaciation, 0.72–0.62 Mya). Together with demographic history analyses, our results highlighted that major glacial cycles during the mid-Pleistocene played a major role in sculpting the distribution pattern of T. stenura, and led to the gene homogenization crossing the drainage populations in the southwestern and central QTP.

Key words: The Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, Phylogeography, Climate oscillation, Pleistocene glacial cycles, Triplophysa stenura.

Citation: Phylogeography of Triplophysa stenura (Nemacheilidae): responded to the mid-Pleistocene climate transition in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Zool Stud 59:67. doi:10.6220/ZS.2020.59-67.

Supplementary Materials: Table S1