Molecular phylogenetics of otophysan fishes: African alestids (characiformes: alestidae) and citharinoids (characiformes: citharinoidei), Afro-Asian chedrins (cypriniformes: chedrini), and neotropical loricariins (siluriformes: loricariinae) as case studies
Item
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Title
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Molecular phylogenetics of otophysan fishes: African alestids (characiformes: alestidae) and citharinoids (characiformes: citharinoidei), Afro-Asian chedrins (cypriniformes: chedrini), and neotropical loricariins (siluriformes: loricariinae) as case studies
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:02bec8bb8236:12075
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identifier
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12673
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Creator
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Arroyave Gutierrez, Jairo Andres,
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Contributor
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Scott A. Schaefer
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Date
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2013
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Biology | Systematic biology | Zoology | Molecular biology | Cladistics | Ichthyology | Systematics | Taxonomy
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Abstract
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Otophysan fishes (Ostariophysi: Otophysi) are members of a morphologically and ecologically diverse clade of teleosts that includes most freshwater species of fish, and comprises four major lineages classified in the orders Cypriniformes, Characiformes, Siluriformes, and Gymnotiformes, respectively. Partly because of their tremendous diversity, many groups of otophysan fishes remain poorly understood phylogenetically and in a state of taxonomic disarray. This is the case--to a greater or lesser extent--of African characiforms of the suborder Citharinoidei and the family Alestidae, Afro-Asian cypriniforms of the tribe Chedrini, and Neotropical siluriforms of the subfamily Loricariinae. To address the lack of robust, comprehensive, and/or up-to-date phylogenetic hypotheses for the aforementioned groups, this doctoral dissertation investigated their systematics and evolution through phylogenetic analyses of comparative DNA sequence data, including molecular-clock analyses that resulted in the first time-calibrated phylogenies ever proposed for both alestids and citharinoids (and characiforms for that matter). The molecular phylogenies arrived at herein represent the most comprehensive hypotheses of relationships for each of the groups investigated. Although many of the relationships revealed by this study corroborated previous hypotheses based on morphological and/or molecular data, others are newly hypothesized or in conflict. Moreover, the results of this research revealed instances of para- and polyphyly in numerous nominal taxa (e.g., Brycinus [Alestidae], Nannocharax [Distichodontidae], Raiamas [Chedrini], Lamontichthys [Loricariinae]), prompting a reassessment of the taxonomies of the groups investigated. Information on the temporal context of alestid and citharinoid diversification was used to assess biogeographic hypotheses proposed to explain the Gondwanan distribution of characiforms. Likewise, the inferred chronograms shed some critical light on the historical processes that may have influenced diversification and biogeographic patterns in these and other groups of African freshwater fishes.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Biology
