Diversity, phylogeny and intraspecific variability of species (Monogenea: Diplozoidae) parasitizing endemic cyprinoids in the Middle East.

Diplozoidae are common monogenean ectoparasites of cyprinoid fish, with the genus being the most diversified. Despite recent studies on Diplozoidae from Europe, Africa and Asia, the diversity, distribution and phylogeny of this parasite group appears to be still underestimated in the Middle East. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity, endemism and host specificity of diplozoids parasitizing cyprinoid fish from the Middle East, considering this region as an important historical interchange of fish fauna, and to elucidate the phylogenetic position of Middle Eastern species within Diplozoidae.

Three mitochondrial lineages and no Atlantic-Mediterranean barrier for the bogue Boops boops across its widespread distribution.

Marine species exhibiting wide distributional ranges are frequently subdivided into discrete genetic units over limited spatial scales. This is often due to specific life-history traits or oceanographic barriers that prevent gene flow. Fine-scale sampling studies revealed distinct phylogeographic patterns in the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, ranging from panmixia to noticeable population genetic structure.

An integrative phylogenetic approach for inferring relationships of fossil gobioids (Teleostei: Gobiiformes).

The suborder Gobioidei is among the most diverse groups of vertebrates, comprising about 2310 species. In the fossil record gobioids date back to the early Eocene (c. 50 m.

Correlation between acoustic divergence and phylogenetic distance in soniferous European gobiids (Gobiidae; Gobius lineage).

In fish, species identity can be encoded by sounds, which have been thoroughly investigated in European gobiids (Gobiidae, Gobius lineage). Recent evolutionary studies suggest that deterministic and/or stochastic forces could generate acoustic differences among related animal species, though this has not been investigated in any teleost group to date. In the present comparative study, we analysed the sounds from nine soniferous gobiids and quantitatively assessed their acoustic variability.

Evolutionary history of the Pelasgus minnows (Teleostei: Leuciscidae), an ancient endemic genus from the Balkan Peninsula.

The Balkans are one of the European biodiversity hotspots, hosting outstandingly rich, yet threatened, flora and fauna. This region hosts one of the richest endemic freshwater ichthyofauna in Europe, including several genera occurring exclusively here. One of these is the genus of the primary freshwater minnows Pelasgus, which was designated only in 2007.

Mixed-sex offspring produced via cryptic parthenogenesis in a lizard.

Facultative parthenogenesis in vertebrates is believed to be exceptional, and wherever documented, it always led to single-sex progeny with genome-wide homozygosity. We report the first challenge to this paradigm: frequent facultative parthenogenesis in the previously assumed sexually reproducing tropical night lizard Lepidophyma smithii results in offspring of both sexes and preserves heterozygosity in many loci polymorphic in their mothers. Moreover, we documented a mixture of sexually and parthenogenetically produced progeny in a single clutch, which documents how cryptic a facultative parthenogenesis can be.

Disentangling the evolutionary history of peri-Mediterranean cyprinids using host-specific gill monogeneans.

The diversification of Mediterranean fish appears to be far more complex than could be explained by a single dispersion model. Cyprinids represent one of the most species-rich groups of freshwater fishes living in this region. The current distribution of several highly divergent cyprinid taxa is most likely the result of multiple dispersion events.

High diversity of fish ectoparasitic monogeneans () in the Iberian Peninsula: a case of adaptive radiation?

The epicontinental fauna of the Iberian Peninsula is strongly influenced by its geographical history. As the possibilities for dispersion of organisms into and from this region were (and still are) limited, the local fauna consists almost exclusively of endemic species. Almost all Iberian freshwater fishes of the families Leuciscidae and Cyprinidae are endemic and on-going research on these taxa continually uncovers new species.

Little evidence for switches to environmental sex determination and turnover of sex chromosomes in lacertid lizards.

Amniotes possess variability in sex determination, from environmental sex determination (ESD), where no sex chromosomes are present, to genotypic sex determination (GSD) with highly differentiated sex chromosomes. Some evolutionary scenarios postulate high stability of differentiated sex chromosomes and rare transitions from GSD to ESD. However, sex chromosome turnovers and two independent transitions from highly differentiated ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes to ESD were previously reported in the lacertid lizards.

The phylogenetic relationships and species richness of host-specific Dactylogyrus parasites shaped by the biogeography of Balkan cyprinids.

Parasites exhibiting a high degree of host specificity are expected to be intimately associated with their hosts. Therefore, the evolution of host-specific parasites is at least partially shaped by the evolutionary history and distribution of such hosts. Gill ectoparasites of Dactylogyrus (Monogenea) are specific to cyprinid fish.

Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the Holarctic family Leuciscidae (Cypriniformes: Cyprinoidei).

The phylogenetic relationships and classification of the freshwater fish order Cypriniformes, like many other species-rich groups of vertebrates, has evolved over time with some consistency and inconsistencies of relationships across various studies. Within Cypriniformes, the Holarctic family Leuciscidae is one of the most widely distributed and highly diverse monophyletic groups of cyprinoids. Despite several studies conducted on this group, alternative hypotheses exist as to the composition and relationships within Leuciscidae.

Ancient connections among the European rivers and watersheds revealed from the evolutionary history of the genus Telestes (Actinopterygii; Cypriniformes).

In order to better understand the complex geologic history of the Mediterranean area, we have analysed evolutionary history, phylogeographic structure and molecular diversity of freshwater fishes belonging to the genus Telestes. As primary freshwater fishes distributed largely in the Mediterranean basin, this genus represents a suitable model system for investigating the historical biogeography of freshwater drainage systems in southern Europe. In this investigation we have included samples representing all Telestes species and based our analyses on one mitochondrial and one nuclear gene.

Recent acute crayfish mortality reveals Aphanomyces astaci presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although the introduction of the crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci to Europe is responsible for substantial declines in native crayfish populations throughout the whole continent, its presence has never been officially confirmed in many European regions, including most of the Balkan Peninsula. We demonstrate that the recent crayfish mortality observed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mostarsko blato karst field, Neretva river drainage) was caused by A. astaci.

Ancient Mitochondrial Capture as Factor Promoting Mitonuclear Discordance in Freshwater Fishes: A Case Study in the Genus Squalius (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) in Greece.

Hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting are common confounding factors in phylogeny and speciation resulting in mitonuclear disparity. Mitochondrial introgression, a particular case of hybridization, may, in extreme cases, lead to replacement of the mitochondrial genome of one species with that of another (mitochondrial capture). We investigated mitochondrial introgression involving two species of the cyprinid genus Squalius in the western Peloponnese region of Greece using molecular and morphological data.

Conservation of sex chromosomes in lacertid lizards.

Sex chromosomes are believed to be stable in endotherms, but young and evolutionary unstable in most ectothermic vertebrates. Within lacertids, the widely radiated lizard group, sex chromosomes have been reported to vary in morphology and heterochromatinization, which may suggest turnovers during the evolution of the group. We compared the partial gene content of the Z-specific part of sex chromosomes across major lineages of lacertids and discovered a strong evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Ukrainian nine-spined stickleback (Gasterosteiformes, Gasterosteidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Ukrainian nine-spined stickleback was obtained using massive parallel sequencing of genomic DNA. The mitogenome sequence was 16 570 bp long, and the gene order and contents were identical to those of other sequenced mitogenomes. In a phylogenetic analysis, the mitogenome of clustered with other mitogenomes, yet being clearly distinct from those of , and .

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Greek nine-spined stickleback (Gasterosteiformes, Gasterosteidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Greek nine-spined stickleback was obtained using Illumina high-throughput sequencing of genomic DNA. The genome was 16 713 bp long, and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a control region. The arrangement of the genes was identical to that of other Gasterosteidae fishes.

Evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in snakes.

Amniote vertebrates possess various mechanisms of sex determination, but their variability is not equally distributed. The large evolutionary stability of sex chromosomes in viviparous mammals and birds was believed to be connected with their endothermy. However, some ectotherm lineages seem to be comparably conserved in sex determination, but previously there was a lack of molecular evidence to confirm this.

A multilocus assessment of nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data elucidates phylogenetic relationships among European spirlins (Alburnoides, Cyprinidae).

The phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of the spirlins in the genus Alburnoides are examined by comparative sequencing analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Molecular analyses revealed 17 Eurasian lineages divided into two main clades, termed the Ponto-Caspian and European in accordance with the lineage distribution. The indel diagnostics of β-actin and S7 markers and translation of cyt b to the amino acid chain were evaluated as a reliable identifying tool for most of the recognised lineages.

Different Histories, Different Destinies‒Impact of Evolutionary History and Population Genetic Structure on Extinction Risk of the Adriatic Spined Loaches (Genus Cobitis; Cypriniformes, Actinopterygii).

The region of Balkans is often considered as an ichthyologic "hot spot", with a great number of species and high portion of endemics living in fresh waters in a relatively small area. The Adriatic watershed in Croatia and Herzegovina is inhabited by six spined loach species (genus Cobitis) whose extinction risk estimations were based solely on their extent of occurrence (and/or area of occupancy) and its fragmentation, and conservation proposals do not consider diversity below species level. In this investigation we employed molecular genetic methods to describe present genetic structure of the Adriatic spined loaches and reveal their demographic history.

Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data reveal the evolutionary history of Barbus (Cyprinidae) in the ancient lake systems of the Balkans.

Freshwater fauna of ancient lakes frequently contain endemic taxa thought to have originated during the long existence of these lakes, yet uncertainties remain as to whether they represent distinct genetic lineages with respect to more widespread relatives and to the relative roles of isolation and dispersal in their evolution. Phylogenetic analyses of sequence variation at nuclear and mitochondrial genes were used to examine these issues for the freshwater fish genus Barbus in two European ancient lake systems on the Balkan Peninsula. The nuclear and mitochondrial data yielded concordant phylogeographic patterns though incomplete sorting of nuclear haplotypes between some mitochondrial clades was detected.

Cobitis ohridana and Barbatula zetensis in the River Moraca basin, Montenegro: distribution, habitat, population structure and conservation needs.

In this paper, we report on the distribution, habitat, population structure and conservation needs of Cobitis ohridana and Barbatula zetensis in the basin of the River Moraca in Montenegro. Our data show both species to be mainly distributed in the lower stretch of the main river and some tributaries in lowland habitats. Cobitis ohridana preferred more shallow water with a higher abundance of filamentous algae, while Barbatula zetensis was more numerous in slightly deeper water with more stones as a bottom substrate.