Journal Article
Time-calibrated relationships of a rare cave catfish (Trichomycterus rubbioli): Shedding light on troglobitic lifestyle origin in the Brazilian caatinga
Costa, W.J.E.M., Vilardo, P.J., Mattos, J.L.O., Katz, A.M., Azevedo-Santos, V.M., Uzeda, P.L.C. and Ferreira, R.L.
Record Number:
7137
Year:
2026
Journal:
Journal of Fish Biology
Pages:
9 pages
Volume:
xx
Abstract:
Catfishes of the subfamily Trichomycterinae comprise the most diverse fish group
with species adapted to live in Neotropical caves, but past evolutionary scenarios that
have driven the origin of these troglobitic species remain unknown. We herein investigate
the phylogenetic position of the cave-restricted Trichomycterus rubbioli, endemic to the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil, through a time-calibrated molecular phylogenetic analysis of a broad sample of trichomycterine taxa (84 spp), using two nuclear and two mitochondrial genes (3030 bp). The analysis supported T. rubbioli as a member of the Trichomycterus s.s. clade endemic to eastern South America and an early Miocene origin for the T. rubbioli lineage. The combination of available data suggests that the T. rubbioli lineage adapted to the troglobitic lifestyle between the Middle and Late Miocene, a period when the semi-arid conditions of the Caatinga biome became established and consequently streams of the region became seasonal. This past scenario would be responsible for extinction of epigean trichomycterines while preserving the lineage within the cave system. Morphological characters of the troglobitic ‘Trichomycterus’ itacarambiensis from the transition area between the Cerrado and the Caatinga indicate distant relationships with T. rubbioli, suggesting an independent evolutionary event of cave colonization.
KEYWORDS
cave biodiversity, Cenozoic climate change, Rio S˜ao Francisco basin, Serra do Ramalho
Times Cited:
1
Relevent Species:
Related Records:
Bichuette, M.E. and Rizzato, P.P. (2012)
A new species if cave catfish from Brazil, Trichomycterus rubbioli sp. n., from Serra do Ramalho karstic area, Sao Francisco River basin, Bahia State (Siluriformes: Trichmycteridae)
Colihueque, N., Corrales, O, and Yáñez, M. (2017)Morphological analysis of Trichomycterus areolatus Valenciennes,
1846 from southern Chilean rivers using a truss-based system (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae)
Flórez, J.S., Cadena, C.D., DoNascimiento, C. and Torres, M. (2020)Repeated colonization of caves leads to phenotypic convergence in catfishes (Siluriformes: Trichomycterus) at a small geographical scale
Flórez, J.S., Cadena, C.D., Donascimiento, C. and Torres, M. (2021)Repeated colonization of caves leads to phenotypic convergence in catfishes (Siluriformes: Trichomycterus) at a small geographical scale
Souza‑Silva, M., Cerqueira, R.F.V., Pellegrini, T.G. and Ferreira, R.L. (2021)Habitat selection of cave‑restricted fauna in a new hotspot of subterranean biodiversity in Neotropics
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Ferreira, R.L., Berbert-Born, M. and Souza-Silva, M. (2023)The Água Clara cave system in northeastern Brazil: The richest hotspot of subterranean
biodiversity in South America
Vilardo, P.J., Katz, A.M. and Costa, W.J.E.M. (2023)Phylogeny and historical biogeography of neotropical catfishes Trichomycterus (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from eastern Brazil
Silva Vaz, G.A., Souza-Silva, M., Souza Rodrigues Ferreira, A.H. and Ferreira, R.L. (2025)Exploring the factors shaping the invertebrate community and habitat selection in a new Hotspot of Subterranean Biodiversity in South America
Costa, W.J.E.M. (2026)Comparative Morphology and Generic Classification of Catfishes of the Trichomycterus Lineage (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)
Costa, W.J.E.M., Vilardo, P.J., Mattos, J.L.O., Katz, A.M., Azevedo-Santos, V.M., Uzeda, P.L.C. and Ferreira, R.L. (2026)Time-calibrated relationships of a rare cave catfish (Trichomycterus rubbioli): Shedding light
on troglobitic lifestyle origin in the Brazilian caatinga