Pseudo but actually genuine: Rhodeus pseudosericeus provides insight into the phylogeographic history of the Amur bitterling

Abstract

Geographic isolation and colonization events have been considered complimentary historical processes in shaping the contemporary structure of regional biotas and taxonomic diversity. Accordingly, insight regarding vicariance and geodispersal might be gained by the analysis of phylogenetic pattern of related but geographically isolated taxa. Here, we examined endangered Rhodeus pseudosericeus in the Korean Peninsula based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences to provide information regarding the evolutionary origin of Amur-European bitterlings, Rhodeus sericeus and Rhodeus amarus. Our data and the contemporary distribution of R. pseudosericeus indicate that founding individuals have colonized the western coast of the Korean Peninsula via the paleo-Huang He River and since been subdivided into populations isolated by drainage formation. Our phylogenetic analyses indicated that it was likely R. pseudosericeus had a sister relationship to the R. sericeus–amarus complex, indicating that the R. sericeus–amarus clade originated from the dispersal of either R. pseudosericeus or its ancestral lineage. The geodispersal scenario based on our phylogenetic analyses supports the previous hypothesis that the Amur River likely created confluences with some tributaries of the paleo-Huang He River. Overall, the present study offers new insight into the taxonomic entity of R. pseudosericeus and a more comprehensive understanding of the phylogeographic history of R. sericeus and European bitterling lineages.

Keywords:

• phylogeography
• Rhodeus pseudosericeus
• bitterling
• Acheilognathinae
• cytochrome b

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Seong Jang Jo, Akimitsu Hanado, and Jin Young Chu for their helpful support in the field, and Daemin Kim for his assistance with phylogenetic analyses. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript.

Funding

This project was supported by the grants from the Korean National Institute of Biological Resources [grant number 074-1800-1844-304] and the Korean National Research Foundation [grant number NRF-2011-0014704).

Additional information

Funding

Funding: This project was supported by the grants from the Korean National Institute of Biological Resources [grant number 074-1800-1844-304] and the Korean National Research Foundation [grant number NRF-2011-0014704).