Poecilia vivipara Bloch & Schneider, 1801 (Cyprinodontiformes, Poeciliidae), a guppy in an oceanic archipelago: from where did it come?

Waldir Miron Berbel-Filho,Ricardo Marques Dias,Luciano Freitas Barros-Neto,Rodrigo Augusto Torres,Carlos Augusto Assumpção Figueiredo,Liana Figueiredo Mendes,Sergio Maia Queiroz Lima

doi:10.3897/zookeys.746.20960

Abstract

Poecilia vivipara, a small euryhaline guppy is reported at the Maceió River micro-basin in the Fernando de Noronha oceanic archipelago, northeast Brazil. However, the origin (human-mediated or natural dispersal) of this insular population is still controversial. The present study investigates how this population is phylogenetically related to the surrounding continental populations using the cytochrome oxidase I mitochondrial gene from eleven river basins in South America. Our phylogenetic reconstruction showed a clear geographical distribution arrangement of P. vivipara lineages. The Fernando de Noronha haplotype fell within the 'north' clade, closely related to a shared haplotype between the Paraíba do Norte and Potengi basins; the geographically closest continental drainages. Our phylogenetic reconstruction also showed highly divergent lineages, suggesting that P. vivipara may represent a species complex along its wide distribution. Regarding to the insular population, P. vivipara may have been intentionally introduced to the archipelago for the purpose of mosquito larvae control during the occupation of a U.S. military base following World War II. However, given the euryhaline capacity of P. vivipara, a potential scenario of natural (passive or active) dispersal cannot be ruled out.

Highlights

The origin of terrestrial and freshwater organisms on oceanic islands has historically been a topic of intrigue within the field of biogeography
Given that P. vivipara is a continental euryhaline fish species, the present study aims to shed light onto the presence of P. vivipara in the Fernando de Noronha oceanic islands using phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA
Our results suggest that Poecilia vivipara from Fernando de Noronha may have derived from a genetic lineage that is closely related to the current lineage present at the closest continental drainages

Summary

Introduction

The origin of terrestrial and freshwater organisms on oceanic islands has historically been a topic of intrigue within the field of biogeography. Oceanic islands are created by volcanic or coralline processes (de Queiroz 2005), making them isolated from the continent. There are reports of freshwater fish species across the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, including species used as alternative food sources, such as the tambaqui Colossoma macropomum (Curvier 1816) and the tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linneaus, 1718) (Soto 2001; 2009). Other species, such as the guppy (or mosquitofish) Poecilia vivipara Bloch & Schneider, 1801, were supposedly introduced for mosquito larvae control. Other species, such as the guppy (or mosquitofish) Poecilia vivipara Bloch & Schneider, 1801, were supposedly introduced for mosquito larvae control. (Soto 2001; 2009)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion