Phylogenetic evaluation of North American Leuciscidae (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cyprinoidea) as inferred from analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences

Abstract

The benefits of utilizing unlinked multilocus data sets in phylogenetic investigations is becoming apparent as more results employing this approach become available. This study provides phylogenetic hypotheses for fishes of the North American (NA) Leuciscidae (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes: Cyprinoidea) based on combined analyses of unlinked mitochondrial 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA and nuclear S7 (intron 1) and RAG1 (exon 3) sequences. Combined analyses resolve strongly supported western, creek chub-plagopterin (CC-P), and open posterior myodome (OPM) clades, with variable placement of European taxa within the NA lineage. The CC-P and non-shiner OPM clades have largely congruent topologies among analyses of the individual loci and resolve strongly supported clades in analyses of the combined loci. There is incongruence for some regions in the western and shiner clades among the individual loci. Results of the combined analyses for these regions are considered tentative, though a monophyletic Gila seems likely.