Patterns and processes in the evolutionary history of parrotfishes (Family Labridae)

Abstract

Phylogenetic reconstruction of the evolutionary relationships among 61 of the 70 species of the parrotfish genera Chlorurus and Scarus (Family Labridae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences retrieved 15 well‐supported clades with mid Pliocene/Pleistocene diversification. Twenty‐two reciprocally monophyletic sister‐species pairs were identified: 64% were allopatric, and the remainder were sympatric. Age of divergence was similar for allopatric and sympatric species pairs. Sympatric sister pairs displayed greater divergence in morphology, ecology, and sexually dimorphic colour patterns than did allopatric pairs, suggesting that both genetic drift in allopatric species pairs and ecologically adaptive divergence between members of sympatric pairs have played a role in diversification. Basal species typically have small geographical ranges and are restricted to geographically and ecologically peripheral reef habitats. We found little evidence that a single dominant process has driven diversification, nor did we detect a pattern of discrete, sequential stages of diversification in relation to habitat, ecology, and reproductive biology. The evolution of Chlorurus and Scarus has been complex, involving a number of speciation processes. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 107, 529–557.

Brazilian tropical fishes in their southern limit of distribution: checklist of Santa Catarina’s rocky reef ichthyofauna, remarks and new records

“…Complex coastal geography, including numerous coastal islands, and the out put of various small to medium-sized rivers results in various types of environments, each having its own oceanographic features and species assemblages (Charrid 2011). (2005); Craig and Hastings (2007); Smith and Craig (2007); Choat et al (2012); Boehm et al (2013); Frable et al (2013); Knudsen and Clements (2013);and Silveira et al (2014).…”

“…Following recent revisions of the families Kyphosidae (Knudsen and Clements 2013), Scaridae (Westneat and Alfaro 2005;Choat et al 2012) and Serranidae (Craig and Hastings 2007;Smith and Craig 2007), and the genera Hippocampus (Boehm et al 2013) and Synodus (Frable et al 2013), some taxonomic updates shall be discussed. The whole family Scaridae is now recognized as a lineage of Labridae and now represents the Tribe Scarini (Westneat and Alfaro 2005;Choat et al 2012).…”

“…The whole family Scaridae is now recognized as a lineage of Labridae and now represents the Tribe Scarini (Westneat and Alfaro 2005;Choat et al 2012). The family Epinephelidae was split from Serranidae, and the snowy grouper complex Epinephelus niveatus is now included in the previously invalidated genus Hyporthodus (i.e.,…”

Fifty million years of herbivory on coral reefs: fossils, fish and functional innovations

“…Although phylogenies have provided invaluable insights into the evolution of fish feeding on coral reefs [18,19], including herbivory [20][21][22], most of the detail is restricted to events during the last 30 Myr when most extant genera arose. Relatively little is known of the earliest origins of herbivory, and it is here that fossils are most useful in revealing both the taxa present and the morphological and inferred functional abilities of fishes at this time.…”

Mapping within-species biodiversity: patterns and predictors of genetic diversity on Indo-Pacific reefs

“…While the main objective of the present study has been toward compiling studies listing genetic diversity data, the practice of using phylogenies combined with information about range size and location alongside species traits has been gaining ground in recent years (Meyer 2003, Paulay and Meyer 2006, Selkoe et al 2010, Choat et al 2012. These recent papers provide examples of the kind of synthetic work that can be done with existing data to make sense of the bewildering array of biodiversity in the Indo-Pacific region.…”