Biogeography of the Mesoamerican Cichlidae (Teleostei: Heroini): colonization through the GAARlandia land bridge and early diversification

" We present a molecular phylogenetic and biogeographical analysis of the Mesoamerican cichlid fishes (Cichlidae: Cichlasomatinae: Heroini), a dominant part of the freshwater biodiversity of the region. Based on these analyses we investigate the spatial and temporal origins and diversification of the group. The heroine cichlid fishes colonized the Greater Antilles and Middle America simultaneously through the GAARlandia land bridge during the Oligocene. Central America (including eastern Panama) was colonized from northern Middle America in the Early–Middle Miocene. Thus our results do not support a direct colonization of Middle America from South America, or a Cretaceous–Palaeocene colonization through the proto-Antilles, or a colonization of the Greater Antilles from Middle America as suggested by previous studies "