Phylogeographic analysis of the genus Platycephalus along the coastline of the northwestern Pacific inferred by mitochondrial DNA

Jie Cheng; Zhiyang Wang; Na Song; Takashi Yanagimoto; Tianxiang Gao

doi:10.1186/s12862-019-1477-1

Phylogeographic analysis of the genus Platycephalus along the coastline of the northwestern Pacific inferred by mitochondrial DNA

BMC Evol Biol. 2019 Jul 31;19(1):159. doi: 10.1186/s12862-019-1477-1.

Authors

Jie Cheng^{1

2}, Zhiyang Wang³, Na Song⁴, Takashi Yanagimoto⁵, Tianxiang Gao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China.
² Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), 1 Wenhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China.
³ Ocean School, Yantai University, 30 Qingquan Road, Yantai, 264005, Shandong, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Mariculture (Ocean University of China), Ministry of Education, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao, 266003, Shandong, China.
⁵ National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4 Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan.
⁶ Fishery College, Zhejiang Ocean University, No. 1 Haida South Road, Zhoushan, 316022, Zhejiang, China. gaotianxiang0611@163.com.

Abstract

Background: Flathead fishes of the genus Platycephalus are economically important demersal fishes that widely inhabit the continental shelves of tropical and temperate sea waters. This genus has a long history of taxonomic revision, and recently four Platycephalus species (Platycephalus sp. 1, Platycephalus sp. 2, P. indicus, and P. cultellatus) in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (NWP) have been recognized and redescribed. However, many aspects of their systematics and evolutionary history are unclear.

Results: A total of 411 individuals were sampled from 22 different sites across their distributions in the NWP. Three mitochondrial loci were sequenced to clarify the phylogeny and phylogeographic history of the fishes. The results showed significant differentiation of four Platycephalus species in the NWP with well-supported clades in which Platycephalus sp. 1 and Platycephalus sp. 2 were the closest, clustered with P. cultellatus, while their genetic relationship with P. indicus was the furthest. There were significant genealogical branches corresponding to P. indicus but not to other Platycephalus lineages. We further examined the phylogeographic patterns of 16 Platycephalus sp. 1 populations along the coastlines of China and Japan. A total of 69 haplotypes were obtained, with 23 shared among populations. One dominant haplotypic group, with a modest lineage structure and low levels of haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity, was observed among Platycephalus sp. 1 populations. The demographic history reconstruction suggested a Platycephalus sp. 1 population expansion event dating back to the late Pleistocene.

Conclusions: Distributional rang variations may be the crucial factors shaping the genetic relationships of the genus Platycephalus. Reproductive schooling and potential egg/larval dispersal ability, coupled with the effects of ocean currents, are responsible for the present phylogeographic pattern of Platycephalus sp. 1.

Keywords: Demographic history; Northwestern Pacific Ocean; Phylogeography; Platycephalus; Pleistocene.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Base Sequence
Bayes Theorem
China
DNA, Mitochondrial / genetics*
Genetic Variation
Japan
Pacific Ocean
Perciformes / classification*
Perciformes / genetics*
Phylogeny
Phylogeography*
Seawater

Substances

DNA, Mitochondrial