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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The biogeographical history of Macaronesian and South African sand-smelt is approached for the first time with the inclusion of
A. lopeziana in the genus’ phylogenetic analysis, using a fragment of the mitochondrial control region. The fossil-calibrated
phylogeny revealed an early process of vicariance close to the estimated age of Atherina (~ 19 Mya) leading to two old clades
separating European from South African sand-smelts; these two groups evolved into the five extant species. The question raised
by previous studies about the identity of the Macaronesian sand-smelt was confirmed; A. presbyter reached Canary Islands and
Azores (~ 1.1 Ma) and the populations in these archipelagos have remained highly isolated. The poor dispersal capability of this
genus in conjunction with the fast cooling events during Pliocene and Pleistocene was pointed out as the main factor causing the
isolation and speciation processes of the populations inhabiting these regions.
Description
Keywords
Sand-smelts Atherina Lopeziana Fossil-calibrated Macaronesia
Citation
Marine Biodiversity Doi: 10.1007/s12526-019-00996-2
Publisher
Springer Verlag