- H.A. Cunha1,2,
- V.M.F. da Silva3,
- J Lailson-Brito Jr2,
- M.C.O. Santos4,
- P.A.C. Flores5,
- A.R. Martin6,
- A.F. Azevedo2,7,
- A.B.L. Fragoso2,8,
- R.C. Zanelatto9 &
- …
- A.M. Solé-Cava1
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Abstract
The current taxonomic status ofSotalia species is uncertain. The genus once comprised five species, but in the twentieth century they were grouped into two (riverineSotalia fluviatilis and marineSotalia guianensis) that later were further lumped into a single species (S. fluviatilis), with marine and riverine ecotypes. This uncertainty hampers the assessment of potential impacts on populations and the design of effective conservation measures. We used mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochromeb sequence data to investigate the specific status ofS. fluviatilis ecotypes and their population structure along the Brazilian coast. Nested-clade (NCA), phylogenetic analyses and analysis of molecular variance of control region sequences showed that marine and riverine ecotypes form very divergent monophyletic groups (2.5% sequence divergence; 75% of total molecular variance found between them), which have been evolving independently since an old allopatric fragmentation event. This result is also corroborated by cytochromeb sequence data, for which marine and riverine specimens are fixed for haplotypes that differ by 28 (out of 1,140) nucleotides. According to various species definition methods, we conclude that marine and riverineSotalia are different species. Based on priority criteria, we recommend the revalidation ofSotalia guianensis (Van Bénéden1864) for the marine animals, while riverine dolphins should retain the species nameSotalia fluviatilis (Gervais 1853), thus becoming the first exclusively riverine delphinid. The populations ofS. guianensis show a strong subdivision (ΦST=0.628) along the Brazilian coast, with at least three evolutionarily significant units: north, northeastern and south/southeastern.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Priscila Medeiros, Maria Emília Yamamoto, Coleção de Mamíferos do INPA and REMANE/CMA/IBAMA (Rede de Encalhes de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Nordeste/Centro de Mamíferos Aquáticos/IBAMA) for providing tissue samples. The staff of Lab de Biodiversidade Molecular (Jaqueline Gusmão, Cristiano Lazoski, Daíza Lima, Renata Schama and Carla Zilberberg) greatly contributed with lab work. We are thankful to Lena Geise, who granted access to important bibliography, and to Carolina Voloch, who drew the map. We are also indebted to Nancy Knowlton, for suggestions to the manuscript. This work was financially supported by CNPq and FAPERJ, and is part of HAC’s doctorate thesis. Biopsy was authorized under permits 022-01/CMA/IBAMA, 005-04/CMA/IBAMA, 002-01/CMA/IBAMA, 012-03/CMA/IBAMA and IBAMA 02001.0002344/96-11. Genetic analyses were performed under permit 03/2005-IBAMA.
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Authors and Affiliations
Laboratório de Biodiversidade Molecular, Dept. Genética, Inst. Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
H.A. Cunha & A.M. Solé-Cava
MAQUA, Dept. de Oceanografia, Inst. de Geociências, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
H.A. Cunha, J Lailson-Brito Jr, A.F. Azevedo & A.B.L. Fragoso
Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
V.M.F. da Silva
Projeto Atlantis/Instituto de Biologia da Conservação, São Paulo, Brazil
M.C.O. Santos
International Wildlife Coalition, Florianópolis, Brazil
P.A.C. Flores
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
A.R. Martin
PPGB/IBRAG, Dept. de Ecologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A.F. Azevedo
PPGZOO, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A.B.L. Fragoso
Pró-Reitoria de Administração, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
R.C. Zanelatto
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Cunha, H., da Silva, V., Lailson-Brito, J.et al. Riverine and marine ecotypes ofSotalia dolphins are different species.Marine Biology148, 449–457 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0078-2
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