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Two new species of zooplanktivorous haplochromine cichlids from Lake Victoria, Tanzania.

ABSTRACT: Two new species of zooplanktivorous haplochromine cichlids from Lake Victoria, Tanzania, are described and illustrated. These species closely resemble each other. Their affinities to other zooplanktivorous haplochromines from Lake Victoria are discussed. Haplochromis argens sp. n., which featured under nicknames (mainly Haplochromis "argens") in more than 50 papers, was caught both in the Mwanza Gulf and the Emin Pasha Gulf, whereas Haplochromis goldschmidti sp. n. was only found in the Emin Pasha Gulf. Of the latter species only males are available, but it seems unlikely that it represents a case of male colour polymorphism as several presumably unrelated characters differ in sympatry between the two species, suggesting that there is no gene flow. Statistical analysis revealed that the overall difference between the two species is greater than that between the populations from the two locations. Body depth of the two species in sympatry in the Emin Pasha Gulf was more similar than that of Haplochromis goldschmidti sp. n. and the allopatric population of Haplochromis argens sp. n. from the Mwanza Gulf,which mayindicate an overall environmental effect. However, several measurements related to the width of snout and mouth differed more between the populations of the two species in sympatry than between the allopatric populations. In contrast to a group of zooplanktivorous species that recovered successfully after environmental changes in the lake, Haplochromis argens sp. n. is among a group that became extremely rare and probably is in danger of extinction; the conservation status of Haplochromis goldschmidti sp. n. is currently unknown.

SUBMITTER: de Zeeuw MP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3650828 | biostudies-other | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Two new species of zooplanktivorous haplochromine cichlids from Lake Victoria, Tanzania.

de Zeeuw Marnix P MP Westbroek Irene I van Oijen Martien J P MJ Witte Frans F

ZooKeys 20130102 256

Two new species of zooplanktivorous haplochromine cichlids from Lake Victoria, Tanzania, are described and illustrated. These species closely resemble each other. Their affinities to other zooplanktivorous haplochromines from Lake Victoria are discussed. Haplochromis argens sp. n., which featured under nicknames (mainly Haplochromis "argens") in more than 50 papers, was caught both in the Mwanza Gulf and the Emin Pasha Gulf, whereas Haplochromis goldschmidti sp. n. was only found in the Emin Pas ...[more]

PMID: 23717179

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Project description:Studying phenotypic and genetic differentiation between very young species can be very informative with regard to learning about processes of speciation. Identifying and characterizing genetic species structure and distinguishing it from spatial genetic structure within a species is a prerequisite for this and is often not given sufficient attention. Young radiations of cichlid fish are classical speciation study systems. However, it is only during the past decade that population genomics based on next-generation sequencing has begun to provide the power to resolve species and distinguish speciation from spatial population structure for the youngest of these radiations. The Lake Victoria haplochromine cichlids constitute the youngest large cichlid fish radiation, probably <20,000 years old. Earlier work showed that communities of rocky reef cichlids are composed of many reciprocally monophyletic species despite their very recent origins. Here, we build on this work by studying assemblages of offshore demersal cichlids, adding analyses of within-species spatial structure to the sympatric species structure. We sampled seven multispecies communities along a 6-km-long transect from one side of the Mwanza Gulf to the other side. We investigated whether phenotypically diagnosed putative species are reciprocally monophyletic and whether such monophyly is stable across species geographic ranges. We show that all species are genetically strongly differentiated in sympatry, that they are reciprocally monophyletic, and that monophyly is stable across distribution ranges. We found significant differentiation between geographically distinct populations in two species, but no or weak isolation by distance. We further found subtle but significant morphological differences between all species and a linear relationship between genomic and morphological distance which suggests that differences in morphology begin to accumulate after speciation has already affected genome-wide restrictions of gene flow.

Project description:BackgroundVector control through long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and focal indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a major component of the Tanzania national malaria control strategy. In mainland Tanzania, IRS has been conducted annually around Lake Victoria basin since 2007. Due to pyrethroid resistance in malaria vectors, use of pyrethroids for IRS was phased out and from 2014 to 2017 pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic® 300CS) was sprayed in regions of Kagera, Geita, Mwanza, and Mara. Entomological surveillance was conducted in 10 sprayed and 4 unsprayed sites to determine the impact of IRS on entomological indices related to malaria transmission risk.MethodsWHO cone bioassays were conducted monthly on interior house walls to determine residual efficacy of pirimiphos-methyl CS. Indoor CDC light traps with or without bottle rotator were hung next to protected sleepers indoors and also set outdoors (unbaited) as a proxy measure for indoor and outdoor biting rate and time of biting. Prokopack aspirators were used indoors to capture resting malaria vectors. A sub-sample of Anopheles was tested by PCR to determine species identity and ELISA for sporozoite rate.ResultsAnnual IRS with Actellic® 300CS from 2015 to 2017 was effective on sprayed walls for a mean of 7 months in cone bioassay. PCR of 2016 and 2017 samples showed vector populations were predominantly Anopheles arabiensis (58.1%, n = 4,403 IRS sites, 58%, n = 2,441 unsprayed sites). There was a greater proportion of Anopheles funestus sensu stricto in unsprayed sites (20.4%, n = 858) than in sprayed sites (7.9%, n = 595) and fewer Anopheles parensis (2%, n = 85 unsprayed, 7.8%, n = 591 sprayed). Biting peaks of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) followed periods of rainfall occurring between October and April, but were generally lower in sprayed sites than unsprayed. In most sprayed sites, An. gambiae s.l. indoor densities increased between January and February, i.e., 10-12 months after IRS. The predominant species An. arabiensis had a sporozoite rate in 2017 of 2.0% (95% CI 1.4-2.9) in unsprayed sites compared to 0.8% (95% CI 0.5-1.3) in sprayed sites (p = 0.003). Sporozoite rates were also lower for An. funestus collected in sprayed sites.ConclusionThis study contributes to the understanding of malaria vector species composition, behaviour and transmission risk following IRS around Lake Victoria and can be used to guide malaria vector control strategies in Tanzania.

Project description:Adaptation to heterogeneous sensory environments has been implicated as a key parameter in speciation. Cichlid fish are a textbook example of divergent visual adaptation, mediated by variation in the sequences and expression levels of cone opsin genes (encoding the protein component of visual pigments). In some vertebrates including fish, visual sensitivity is also tuned by the ratio of vitamin A1 /A2 -derived chromophores (i.e., the light-sensitive component of the visual pigment bound to the opsin protein), where higher proportions of A2 cause a more red-shifted wavelength absorbance. This study explores the variation in chromophore ratios across multiple cichlid populations in Lake Victoria, using as a proxy the expression of the gene Cyp27c1, which has been shown to regulate the conversion of vitamin A1 into vitamin A2 in several vertebrates. This study focuses on sympatric Pundamilia cichlids, where species with blue or red male coloration co-occur at multiple islands but occupy different depths and consequently different visual habitats. In the red species, we found higher cyp27c1 expression in populations from turbid waters than from clear waters, but there was no such pattern in the blue species. Across populations, differences between the sympatric species in cyp27c1 expression had a consistent relationship with species differences in opsin expression patterns, but the red/blue identity reversed between clear and turbid waters. To assess the contribution of heritable vs. environmental causes of variation, we tested whether light manipulations induce a change in cyp27c1 expression in the laboratory. We found that cyp27c1 expression was not influenced by experimental light conditions, suggesting that the observed variation in the wild is due to genetic differences. Nonetheless, compared to other cichlid species, cyp27c1 is expressed at very low levels in Pundamilia, suggesting that it may not be relevant for visual adaptation in this species. Conclusively, establishing the biological importance of this variation requires testing of actual A1 /A2 ratios in the eye, as well as its consequences for visual performance.

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Two new species of zooplanktivorous haplochromine cichlids from Lake Victoria, Tanzania.

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Two new species of zooplanktivorous haplochromine cichlids from Lake Victoria, Tanzania.

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