A Reexamination of the Phylogenetic Relationships of the Sand Darters (Teleostei: Percidae)

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships among the Boleosoma group of darters were examined for allozymic variation at 25 presumptive gene loci alone and in combination with 29 morphological characters. Qualitative analyses of allozymic and morphological variation resulted in two most parsimoni- ous trees showing the following relationships: Tree 1 . —(Etheostoma davisoni ((£. lon^imanum, E. nigrum) (E. vitreum (£. claruin (£. peltucidum (£. meridiainim (£. znz'ax (£. hifascia, E. beanii)))))))); Tree 2.—(£. davisoni (E. nigrum (£. longimanum (£. vitreum (£. clarum {£. pellucidum (£. meridianum {£. vivax (E. hifascia, E. beanii))))))))). Quantitative analyses that incorporate an estimate of allelic frequencies were used to discriminate among trees and showed that Tree 1 was 0.598 FREQPARS units shorter than Tree 2. There was both congruence and complementarity in the support provided by allozymic and morphological datasets. The sister-group relationship and allopatric distributions of £. beanii and £. bifascia are consistent with their origin resulting from vicariant speciation associated with the origin of the Mobile Basin