Genetic and biogeographic relationships of the racer goby Neogobius gymnotrachelus (Gobiidae: Teleostei) from introduced and native Eurasian locations

Abstract

The racer goby Neogobius gymnotrachelus, along with several other neogobiin fishes, has been spreading north and west from its native Ponto‐Caspian range for the past two decades via shipping and canals. It has been predicted as a likely future invader of the North American Great Lakes, where it would join its neogobiin relatives – the round and freshwater tubenose gobies. The present study is the first to analyse the population genetic and biogeographic relationships of the racer goby, establishing a baseline to aid interpretation of its future spread patterns and likely donor‐recipient population relationships. The mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene was sequenced from representative areas of the racer goby’s range, including rivers of the northern Black Sea and areas of spread upstream in the Danube River and outside the Ponto‐Caspian region to the Vistula River in Poland. Results discerned nine haplotypes, with few shared among drainages of native rivers and most sites housing unique alleles. Racer goby populations significantly diverged among watersheds, supporting historic low migration and little non‐anthropogenic gene flow. The Dnieper River was identified as a likely donor source for the Vistula River colonization, where appreciable variability suggests a relatively large number of founding genotypes.