The Himalayan uplift and evolution of aquatic biodiversity across Asia: Snowtrout (Cyprininae: Schizothorax) as a test case.

Global biodiversity hotspots are often remote, tectonically active areas undergoing climatic fluctuations, such as the Himalaya Mountains and neighboring Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). They provide biogeographic templates upon which endemic biodiversity can be mapped to infer diversification scenarios. Yet, this process can be somewhat opaque for the Himalaya, given substantial data gaps separating eastern and western regions.

Parallel introgression, not recurrent emergence, explains apparent elevational ecotypes of polyploid Himalayan snowtrout.

The recurrence of similar evolutionary patterns within different habitats often reflects parallel selective pressures acting upon either standing or independently occurring genetic variation to produce a convergence of phenotypes. This interpretation (i.e.