Phylogenetic relationships of Australian members of the family Percichthyidae inferred from mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequence data

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships among 20 Australian species of the family Percichthyidae were investigated from sequence data of two portions of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. The molecular data indicate that Australian genera within this family cluster into three distinct clades. The first clade is composed of some species currently ascribed to the genus Macquaria, along with Nannatherina, Nannoperca, and Bostockia, the second of Maccullochella and two catadromous Macquaria species, and the third of Gadopsis. However, the positioning of Gadopsis within this family was unresolved. Monophyly within each genus was well supported, except for Macquaria, which is clearly polyphyletic. The molecular data were used to examine two hypotheses of Australian percichthyid evolution and favor a freshwater origin for the family.