Comparative historical biogeography of three groups of Nearctic freshwater fishes across central Mexico

Abstract

Biogeographic patterns of the three main Nearctic groups of continental fishes inhabiting river drainages in central Mexico (livebearing goodeids, southern Mexican notropins and species of Algansea , the last two representing independent lineages of cyprinids) were obtained and compared by following two approaches: an estimate of divergence times and using a well‐defined biogeographic method. Three concordant biogeographic events were identified among the three groups, showing some evidence of a partially congruent evolutionary history. The analysed groups show at least three independent colonization events into central Mexico: two western routes, followed by the Goodeinae and members of Algansea , and an early Plateau route followed by southern notropins. The most recent common ancestor ( MRCA ) of each of the three freshwater fish groups diversified in central Mexico in the Late Miocene. The lack of a strong congruence in their biogeographic patterns, and the differences in species richness among the three clades might be evidence for distinct patterns of diversification.

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