Life Sciences Commons^™

Phylogenomics And Population History Of Cichlid And Live-Bearing Fish Species In Lowland Neotropical Rivers, Konrad Taube

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Within Middle America, cichlids and poeciliids account for more than half of the fish biodiversity. This richness in fish fauna highlights the complexity of Middle American biogeography: no other continental area on earth contains within its range the unparalleled abundance of secondary freshwater fish species (fish that can tolerate both saltwater and freshwater). Research into the biogeography of widely distributed Middle American freshwater fish is essential to understanding this unique region.

Three species of freshwater fishes (Belonesox belizanus – Pike killifish, Vieja maculicauda – Black belt cichlid, and Gambusia nicaraguensis – Nicaraguan mosquitofish) are widely distributed across rivers on …