Molecular phylogeny and zoogeography of marine sculpins in the genus Gymnocanthus (Teleostei; Cottidae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences

Gymnocanthus is the most widely distributed genus in the family Cottidae, with six species distributed in the high-latitude area of northern hemisphere. To clarify the phylogenetic relationships and to estimate the divergence times of species in the genus, 2,548 bp of the partial sequences of the 12–16S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b gene were analyzed. Our results suggest the monophyletic genus, which arose in the Aleutian Archipelago, divided into a shallow-water group and a deep-water group 8.1 million years ago (Ma). G. tricuspis of the shallow-water group firstly migrated from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean 5.0 Ma when the Bering Strait first opened. A second migration occurred in the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene after which G. pistilliger and G. intermedius diverged 3.9 Ma. Our findings are discussed within an evolutionary and zoogeographic context.