Isolation and characterization of eight microsatellite loci in the brook lamprey Lampetra planeri (Petromyzontiformes) using 454 sequence data.

Eight polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for the brook lamprey Lampetra planeri through 454 sequencing and their usefulness was tested in 45 individuals of both L. planeri and the river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis. The number of alleles per loci ranged between two and five; the Italian and Irish populations had a mean expected heterozygosity of 0·388 and 0·424 and a mean observed heterozygosity of 0·418 and 0·411, respectively.

Phylogeography of bleaks Alburnus spp. (Cyprinidae) in Italy, based on cytochrome b data.

Sequence variation of a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA encoding for the cytochrome b gene was used to reconstruct the phylogeography of the two species of bleaks occurring in Italy: the alborella Alburnus arborella in northern Italy and the vulturino Alburnus albidus in southern Italy. The study includes four populations of the alborella and 14 populations of the vulturino. A total of 57 haplotypes were identified; these could not be sorted into two reciprocally monophyletic clusters. Multiple phylogenetic methods and nested clade phylogeographical analysis consistently retrieved three well-supported clades, two of which contained both Northern and Southern Italian haplotypes. A third clade is limited to southern Italy. This clade is tentatively assigned to the vulturino. The placement in the same clade of northern and southern Italian haplotypes is explained in light of the introductions of fishes operated from northern to central and southern Italy. The origin of the vulturino dates back to the last two million years. This divergence time estimate identifies the Pleistocene confluences between adjacent river basins along the Adriatic slope of the Italian peninsula and their subsequent isolation as the cause that triggered the diversification of the genus in the area. The existence of a clade endemic to southern Italy supports the recognition of the area as a new peri-Mediterranean ichthyogeographic district, the borders of which correspond to the northern and southern edges of the vulturino range.

Molecular systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of roaches (Rutilus, Teleostei, Cyprinidae).

In this study we used sequence data from the entire mtDNA cytochrome b gene to reconstruct patterns and times of diversification in the roach genus Rutilus. The genus is present with numerous endemic species in the Eastern peri-Mediterranean area and with a few widespread species in Central Europe. Our phylogenetic results do not support the subdivision into two subgenera proposed on morphological grounds. Within R. pigus and R. rutilus we identify highly divergent and allopatric mitochondrial lineages. The deeper splits in the genus phylogeny date back to the middle Miocene; the main diversification took place at the Miocene-Pliocene boundary.

Insight into the origin of endemic Mediterranean ichthyofauna: phylogeography of Chondrostoma genus (Teleostei, Cyprinidae).

The Chondrostoma genus is widespread in Europe, with numerous endemic species in northern Mediterranean rivers. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of this genus, using the whole cytochrome b sequence and compared the two freshwater fish dispersion hypotheses: (1) dispersion around the Mediterranean Sea during the Lago Mare phase of the Messinian salinity crisis (Bianco's hypothesis) and (2) an older and more gradual colonization of the Mediterranean rivers (Banarescu's hypothesis). All phylogenetic analyses identified two levels of divergences, implying two radiation events in the Chondrostoma genus. The first radiation mainly concerned Mediterranean species, whereas the second one includes Danubian and Mesopotamian species. This phylogeographic pattern was already observed for the genus Squalius, which exhibits a similar geographic range distribution in Europe and probably is shared with several other Mediterranean genera, such as Scardinius, Rutilus, and TELESTES: Furthermore, assuming a molecular clock of 1% per million years, the first radiation appears consistent with a Messinian dispersion during the Lago Mare, 5.3 million years ago, whereas the second one may correspond to a Mesopotamian dispersion through the Black Sea to the Danube system. According to our results, the Lago Mare theory is strengthened, and a more recent and pre-Pleistocene colonization of the Danube from Mesopotamian freshwater fishes is suggested.