Phylogenetics and biogeography of the two-wing flyingfish (Exocoetidae: Exocoetus).

ABSTRACT: Two-wing flyingfish (Exocoetus spp.) are widely distributed, epipelagic, mid-trophic organisms that feed on zooplankton and are preyed upon by numerous predators (e.g., tunas, dolphinfish, tropical seabirds), yet an understanding of their speciation and systematics is lacking. As a model of epipelagic fish speciation and to investigate mechanisms that increase biodiversity, we studied the phylogeny and biogeography of Exocoetus, a highly abundant holoepipelagic fish taxon of the tropical open ocean. Morphological and molecular data were used to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships, species boundaries, and biogeographic patterns of the five putative Exocoetus species. We show that the most widespread species (E. volitans) is sister to all other species, and we

SUBMITTER: Lewallen EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5355192 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature