Phylogeny and time scale of diversification in the fossil-rich Sunfishes and Black Basses (Teleostei: Percomorpha: Centrarchidae)

Species of the North American freshwater fish lineage Centrarchidae are
apex predators in their habitats and are among the world’s most popular
sport fishes. Centrarchids boast a rich fossil record that extends from
the latest Eocene to the Pleistocene. To investigate the phylogeny and
timing of diversification of Centrarchidae, we deploy a dataset of DNA
sequences of 16 nuclear genes sampled from nearly all of the recognized
and undescribed species. We also utilize previously published
morphological datasets to assess the phylogenetic placement of one of the
oldest known centrarchid fossils, †Plioplarchus whitei. A Bayesian
multispecies coalescent species tree analysis provides insight on
relationships that evaded resolution in earlier studies, such as the
relationships of Acantharchus pomotis, the resolution of a clade
consisting of species previously synonymized under the Spotted Bass,
Micropterus punctulatus, and a clade of recently described species
previously considered populations of the Redeye Bass, Micropterus coosae.
This new molecular phylogeny and the inclusion of †P. whitei and other
centrarchid fossils in the tip-dated fossilized birth-death analysis
results in a new hypothesis of the timing of diversification in
Centrarchidae that contextualizes the ages of centrarchid fossils to the
timing of speciation among the extant species. In addition to providing
new temporal perspectives on the diversification of freshwater fishes in
North America, this study may close of the chapter of centrarchid
phylogeny inferred using Sanger sequenced genes, as the use of
genomic-scale datasets becomes mainstream in the phylogenetics of fishes.