Phylogeography of the Cran’s bully Gobiomorphus basalis (Gobiiformes: Eleotridae) and an analysis of species boundaries within the New Zealand radiation of Gobiomorphus

New Zealand has a complex recent history of climatic and tectonic change that has left variable signatures in the geographic distribution and genetic structure of the region’s flora and fauna. To identify concordant patterns, a broad range of taxa must be examined and compared. In New Zealand’s North Island, a consensus is forming as to the dominant biogeographic barriers in the region although obligate freshwater taxa have not been considered in this framework.

We use single-nucleotide polymorphisms to investigate phylogeography in the widespread obligate freshwater fish Gobiomorphus basalis on the North Island. Phylogeographic patterns within G. basalis reveal biogeographic disjunctions that are in some ways consistent and in other ways at odds with established patterns, providing insight into the processes that have shaped the islands’ biogeography.

We also use phylogeography to delineate species boundaries within the entire New Zealand radiation of Gobiomorphus and find that it contains several morphologically cryptic species. We resolve two clades within G. basalis that correspond to areas north and south of the Taupo Volcanic Zone. We confirm the distinctiveness of G. alpinus relative to G. cotidianus, as well as the presence of two lineages within G. breviceps that were previously identified based on mitochondrial data.