Mitochondrial DNA of Sardinian and North-West Italian Populations Revealed a New Piece in the Mosaic of Phylogeography and Phylogeny of Salariopsis fluviatilis (Blenniidae)

The genus Salariopsis (Blenniidae) comprises freshwater blenny fish that inhabits Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and north-east Atlantic areas. Three species were formally described to date: Salariopsis fluviatilis . S. economidisi , and S. atlantica . In this study, 103 individuals were collected fr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals
Main Authors: Ilenia Azzena, Fabio Scarpa, Chiara Locci, Piero Cossu, Alessio Niffoi, Flavio Orrù, Stefano Bovero, Giuseppe Sotgiu, Daria Sanna, Marco Casu
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022
Subjects:
freshwater blenny
mtDNA
control region
phylogeny
Salariopsis fluviatilis
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Zoology
QL1-991
North East Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233403
https://doaj.org/article/898e318c2d02424d935f3780f9a1ae99
Description
Summary:The genus Salariopsis (Blenniidae) comprises freshwater blenny fish that inhabits Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and north-east Atlantic areas. Three species were formally described to date: Salariopsis fluviatilis . S. economidisi , and S. atlantica . In this study, 103 individuals were collected from different Italian regions (Sardinia, Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardy) and analyzed using the mtDNA Control Region and the ribosomal 16s gene. We aimed (i) to depict the phylogeographic patterns of S. fluviatilis in northern Italy and Sardinia and (ii) to compare the genetic structure of Italian samples with those from other Mediterranean regions. Results obtained showed the presence of a well-supported genetic structuring among Italian S. fluviatilis populations, shedding new light on the phylogeographic patterns of northern Italian populations of S. fluviatilis sensu stricto across the Ligurian Alpine ridge and the Sardinia Island-mainland dispersal patterns. Furthermore, our species delimitation analysis was consistent in supporting results of previous research about the presence of genetic differentiation among S. fluviatilis , evidencing: (i) a large group of S. fluviatilis sensu stricto that includes two sub-groups (Occidental and Oriental), (ii) one group comprising populations from the Middle East of a taxonomic entity corresponding to Salariopsis cf. fluviatilis , and (iii) one group of Iberian individuals from the Guadiana River.

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