Molecular phylogeny of north Mediterranean freshwater barbs (genus Barbus : Cyprinidae) inferred from cytochrome b sequences: Biogeographic and systematic implications

We investigated phylogenetic relationships among north Mediterranean specie s of the genus Barbus using sequences of the cytochrome b gene. Our results indicate that the species belong to two major clades that are consistent w ith those previously defined from morphological features. The first clade i ncludes species ranging from France to the Black Sea. In this clade, there is a well-supported monophyletic group of large-sized fluvio-lacustrine bar bs; however, the monophyly of the small-sized rheophilic species is not cle ar, The second clade comprises species found in Spain, Greece, and Asia Min or and probably represents the oldest group present in the north Mediterran ean rivers. In general, there is good concordance between geography and phy logenetic relationships, These results are compared to those from previous morphological- and allozyme-based studies and demonstrate widespread discor dance and polyphyly in the traditional taxonomy of the genus Barbus, This s tudy is one of the first reporting the phylogenetic and biogeographic relat ionships of a genus that is widely distributed in European rivers and conta ins species that are a major component of the European ichthyofauna. (C) 20 00 Academic Press.