Southern Mexican minnows of the genus Notropis (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae): genetic variation, phylogenetic relationships and biogeographical implications.

Allozyme analyses were performed to determine patterns of genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships within the genus Notropis in southern Mexico. Products of 28 gene loci were resolved in 24 geographic samples belonging to four putative species. These species represent the southern limit of the Cyprinidae in North America. Five loci were found monomorphic and 11 were diagnostic among species when the outgroup, Phoxinus phoxinus, was not taken into account. Four groups were identified, but these do not correspond perfectly to the four nominal species. Notropis sallaei was identified by allozyme analyses being the most basal among southern Mexican Notropis and the most genetically divergent. Notropis imeldae, was also diagnosed on the basis of allozymic variation, however a population sample representing the Balsas drainage was genetically divergent and is considered as an undescribed new species (N. n. sp.). No genetic differences were found between the samples of N. boucardi and N. moralesi. Therefore, we recommend that N. moralesi should be considered as a junior synonym of N. boucardi. A broad geographic sampling strategy was employed across all the distribution range of N. boucardi representing rivers from three different drainages, which cover both Mexican slopes. The slight divergence found among the headwater populations of N. boucardi permitted us to predict a model of paleohydrographic relationships of these three drainages. Two alternative hypotheses are postulated to explain the current distribution pattern of populations of N. boucardi in southern Mexico.