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Dryad

Data from: Species limits and introgression in Pimelodus from the Magdalena-Cauca River basin

Data files

Apr 25, 2022 version files 1.59 GB

Abstract

Low morphological differentiation among taxa hampers its appropriate identification, basic biological studies, and promotion of any conservation effort. Aiming to clarify the evolution and speciation among members of Pimelodus from the Magdalena-Cauca River basin, this study tested the hypothesis that P. yuma, P. grosskopfii and P. crypticus represent three independently evolving species and explored signals of interspecific hybridization. Likewise, we test the ancient hypothesis that the trans-Andean Pimelodus yuma and P. crypticus belong to the cis-Andean P. blochii species complex. The outcomes based on mitochondrial (cox1) and nuclear [RADseq (Illumina Hi-Seq), microsatellites and rag2] markers combined with coalescence-based and allele-frequency methods, confirm that each studied trans-Andean species represent an independently evolving unit. We used Stacks v.2.52 for de novo SNP genotyping. Contrary to expectations, P. yuma was found as a sister clade of P. blochii, while P. crypticus (confused for a long time with P. blochii) was phylogenetic closer to P. grosskopfii. Additionally, we found strong evidence of historical introgression between the non-sibling species Pimelodus yuma and P. grosskopfii, breaking the absence of interbreeding and the independent evolutionary trajectory among Trans-Andean Pimelodus during their diversification history, a pre-requisite to define species limits. However, non-significant values of current gene flow were evidenced between them, supporting the hypothesis of full isolation.