Aim Arctocephalus pusillus (the brown fur seal) has historically experienced population fluctuations associated with glacial cycles and anthropogenic exploitation. Previous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellite analyses suggested a post‐glacial population expansion in A. pusillus , followed by allopatric divergence that resulted in two extant subspecies: the Australian (AFS, A. p. doriferus ) and Cape (CFS, A. p. pusill...

Understanding how genomic structure links with ecological and evolutionary processes is critical for forecasting species responses to dynamic marine environments, especially in commercially exploited marine species, where fishing pressure can impact genomic integrity. Here we investigate Merluccius paradoxus , a commercially exploited demersal fish that appears to be undergoing a range expansion along the southern African coas...

Aim Pleistocene climate shifts were influential in shaping biodiversity patterns for forest‐dependent species. Within southern Africa, palaeoclimatic shifts possibly homogenised subtropical Afromontane forest biodiversity, yet these forests continue to harbour unique diversity. For the three songbird species with different natural histories, we investigated the refugial role of subtropical Afromontane and scarp forests and exp...

Taxonomy based on morphology can be difficult. The challenges arise from different sources such as poor original descriptions, new records based on inadequate knowledge, uncritical application of general assumptions or presence of complexes of cryptic species. One example of problematic taxonomy is the genus Diopatra Audouin & Milne Edwards, 1833 (Onuphidae, Annelida) and within it the two species Diopatra aciculata and D. nea...

Parasites are often dependent on their hosts for survival and dispersal and this led to a hypothesis that the evolution of obligate permanent host‐specific parasites specifically will show phylogenetic congruence with their hosts. To investigate the factors influencing parasite evolution, mitochondrial‐ and nuclear DNA sequence data were used to test for genetic co‐divergences between Hoplopleura and Polyplax lice occurring on...

Aim It is predicted that the dispersal and gene flow of ectoparasites with wide host ranges are correlated with the vagilities of their most mobile hosts. To test this, the phylogeographical structure of a widespread generalist tick occurring on large ungulates was determined and compared with previously published host patterns. Location Africa. Methods mt DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI ) sequences were generated for...

Environmental gradients have been shown to disrupt gene flow in marine species, yet their influence in structuring populations at depth remains poorly understood. The Cape hakes ( Merluccius paradoxus and M. capensis ) are demersal species co‐occurring in the Benguela Current system, where decades of intense fishing resulted in severely depleted stocks in the past. Previous studies identified conflicting mt DNA genetic substru...

To explore how biogeography, parasite life history and host vagility influences evolutionary codivergences, we followed a comparative phylogeography approach using a host‐specific nonpermanent mite, Laelaps giganteus, that occurs on four rodent species within the genus Rhabdomys . A mt DNA COI haplotype network derived for 278 parasite specimens showed marked phylogeographic congruence with host distributions. Analysis of the...

Aim To determine the genetic structure of the white shark population around the South African coastline and, by including data from animals sampled elsewhere in the world, to provide new insights into white shark evolution at the global scale. Methods Mitochondrial and microsatellite analyses were performed on 302 free‐ranging white sharks collected from five sites along the South African coastline. This was augmented with 58...

Aim Climate change is expected to drive range shifts among a wide array of organisms. Non‐indigenous species ( NIS ) provide a unique opportunity to observe the establishment of range boundaries in a way that cannot be directly seen for native species. Recent studies have indicated that climate change facilitates biological invasions at local scales. However, the generality of these effects is unclear, as there is a dearth of...

Parasites and hosts interact across both micro‐ and macroevolutionary scales where congruence among their phylogeographic and phylogenetic structures may be observed. Within southern A frica, the four‐striped mouse genus, R habdomys , is parasitized by the ectoparasitic sucking louse, P olyplax arvicanthis . Molecular data recently suggested the presence of two cryptic species within P . arvicanthis that are sympatrically dist...

Aim Vicariance has played a major role in the evolution of the southern rock agama, Agama atra (Reptilia: Agamidae), and it is hypothesized that habitat shifts will affect small‐scale patterns of gene flow. The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is known for high levels of diversity and endemism; thus we set out to investigate whether genetic structuring of CFR populations of A. atra corresponds to regional environmental shifts. Loca...

The southern African landscape appears to have experienced frequent shifts in vegetation associated with climatic change through the mid‐Miocene and Plio–Pleistocene. One group whose historical biogeography may have been affected by these fluctuations are the dwarf chameleons ( Bradypodion ), due to their associations with distinct vegetation types. Thus, this group provides an opportunity to investigate historical biogeograph...

Stewart, B. A., Gouws, G., Daniels, S. R. & Matthee, C. A. (2004). Delimitation of morphologically similar sponge crab species of the genus Pseudodromia (Crustacea, Decapoda, Dromiidae) from South Africa. — Zoologica Scripta , 33 , 45–55. Presently, three Pseudodromia sponge crab species are recognized, all of which are endemic to the continental shelf off the coast of South Africa. Two of these differ only in the morphology o...

Mitochondrial DNA sequence data derived from two genes were used to infer phylogeographical relationships between 13 Agama atra populations. Three distinct geographical assemblages were found among the lizard populations. The first occurs in southern Namibia, the second is restricted to the western dry arid regions of South Africa, whereas the third is distributed throughout the more mesic southern and eastern parts of the sub...

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences were analysed to determine the geographical genetic structure of Hippotragus niger (sable antelope) and H. equinus (roan antelope). Analyses by AMOVA , minimum evolution networks, parsimony, neighbour joining and maximum likelihood show that the roan antelope populations are geographically partitioned and that their phylogeography corresponds well with subspecific boundaries....