Evidence of cryptic species in the blenniid Cirripectes alboapicalis species complex, with zoogeographic implications for the South Pacific

By

Delrieu -Trottin, Erwan
Liggins, Libby
Trnski, T. (Tom)
Williams, Jeffrey T.
Neglia, Valentina
Rapu Edmunds, Cristian
Planes, Serge
Saenz-Agudelo, Pablo

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

810

Pages

127-138

Subjects

Austral Islands , Blenniidae , cryptic species , Cytochrome oxidase I , Easter Island , endemism , French Polynesia , Gambier Islands , Kermadec Islands , mtDNA , Phylogeny , Rangitāhua , Rapa Nui

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.810.28887

 

Abstract

Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island (Chile), is one of the most isolated tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean. The island location of Rapa Nui makes it the easternmost point of the geographic ranges for many western Pacific fish species that are restricted to the subtropical islands south of 20°S latitude. The blenniid fish speciesCirripectesalboapicalishas been thought to have one of the most extensive geographic distribution ranges among these southern subtropical fish species, extending from the southern Great Barrier Reef to Rapa Nui. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted to determine the taxonomic status of the species. The results provide genetic evidence that suggests that this formerly South Pacific-wide species comprises at least three cryptic species with allopatric geographic distributions. The analyses reveal the geographic distributions of these clades and their genetic relationships with each other, and with other species within the genusCirripectes. The processes that culminated in the current geographic distribution of this species complex and the zoogeographic implications of this finding for the South Pacific region are discussed.