Phylogeography of the Indo-West Pacific maskrays (Dasyatidae, Neotrygon): a complex example of chondrichthyan radiation in the Cenozoic Melody Puckridge1,2, Peter R. Last2, William T. White2 & Nikos Andreakis3 1Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia 2Wealth from Oceans Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Castray Esplanade, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia 3Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, QLD 4810, Australia Keywords Abstract Biodiversity hotspot, cryptic species, marine speciation, maskray, Neotrygon, Maskrays of the genus Neotrygon (Dasyatidae) have dispersed widely in the phylogeography. Indo-West Pacific being represented largely by an assemblage of narrow-ranging coastal endemics. Phylogenetic reconstruction methods reproduced nearly iden- Correspondence tical and statistically robust topologies supporting the monophyly of the genus Melody Puckridge, IMAS, University of Neotrygon within the family Dasyatidae, the genus Taeniura being consistently Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart TAS 7001, basal to Neotrygon, and Dasyatis being polyphyletic to the genera Taeniurops Australia. Tel: +613-6232-5222; Fax: +613- and Pteroplatytrygon. The Neotrygon kuhlii complex, once considered to be an 6226-2973; E-mail:
[email protected] assemblage of color variants of the same biological species, is the most derived Funding Information and widely dispersed subgroup of the genus. Mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and This study received financial support through nuclear (RAG1) phylogenies used in synergy with molecular dating identified the University of Tasmania, the paleoclimatic fluctuations responsible for periods of vicariance and dispersal Commonwealth Environment Research promoting population fragmentation and speciation in Neotrygon. Signatures of Facilities (CERF) Marine Biodiversity Hub and population differentiation exist in N.