Historical biogeography reveals new independent evolutionary lineages in the Pantosteus plebeius-nebuliferus species-group (Actinopterygii: Catostomidae)

" The Pantosteus plebeius-nebuliferus species-group is a group of freshwater fishes distributed in endo- and exorheic drainage basins in the Mexican Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range system and central North Mexico. The geological history of this region is considered an important factor in explaining the evolutionary history of low vagility animals like freshwaters fishes. The aim of this study was to examine the phylogenetic relationships and describe the evolutionary history of the species-group. We hypothesized that the genetic structure and distribution of the main clades of Pantosteus plebeius-nebuliferus are associated with the geological history of Northern Mexico. To this end, we obtained DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes and performed phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses. Divergence time estimation and ancestral area reconstruction were also carried out to propose a biogeographical hypothesis, and species boundaries within the species-group were also tested "