Molecular systematics of the Triplophysa robusta (Cobitoidea) complex: Extensive gene flow in a depauperate lineage

Abstract Gene flow between populations assumed to be isolated frequently leads to incorrect inferences of evolutionary history. Understanding gene flow and its causes has long been a key topic in evolutionary biology. In this study, we explored the evolutionary history of the Triplophysa robusta complex, using a combination of multilocus analyses and coalescent simulation. Our multilocus approach detected conspicuous mitonuclear discordances in the T . robusta complex. Mitochondrial results showed reticular clades, whereas the nuclear results corresponded with the morphological data. Coalescent simulation indicated that gene flow was the source of these discordances. Molecular clock analysis combined with geological processes suggest that intense geological upheavals have shaped a complicated evolutionary history for the T . robusta complex since the late Miocene, causing extensive gene flow which has distorted the molecular systematics of the T . robusta complex. We suggest that frequent gene flow may restrict speciation in the T . robusta complex, leading to such a depauperate lineage. Based on this comprehensive understanding, we provide our proposals for taxonomic revision of the T . robusta complex.