First multilocus and densely sampled timetree of trevallies, pompanos and allies (Carangoidei, Percomorpha) suggests a Cretaceous origin and Eocene radiation of a major clade of piscivores

Abstract

Carangoid fishes (trevallies, pompanos, jacks, dolphinfishes, cobias and remoras) include about 159 species of marine fishes found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide (Froese and Pauly, 2014). Many carangoids are powerful swimmers and active piscivores in and around coral-reef ecosystems. Some carangoid lineages, such as dolphinfishes, have evolved a pelagic lifestyle, while remoras spend their adult life attached to cetaceans, sharks, manta rays and large teleosts, feeding off skin parasites or leftovers from their host’s meals. In spite of their taxonomic diversity, ecological dominance, economic importance to humans, and a rich fossil record dating to the Paleogene, relatively little is currently known about the tempo of evolution of this group. Here we present the results of the first time calibration study of carangoid fishes. Using a fossil-calibrated molecular timetree that includes 133 species of carangoids (∼85% of extant species), we show that this group originated in the Late Cretaceous and that several major lineages were already present before the K-Pg extinction. All major clades were in existence by the end of the Eocene, even though significant diversification has continued to occur throughout the history of this group.