Geographic variation within a tandemly repeated mitochondrial DNA D-loop region of a North American freshwater fish, Pylodictis olivaris

• Geographic-specificity of a 35-bp mtDNA D-loop tandemly repeated sequence.
• Dominant role of Pleistocene glacial epochs in lineage diversification.
• Lineage-specific demographic expansion of the matrilineal lineages of P. olivaris.

The present study reports the distribution of a 35-bp mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop tandemly repeated sequence in the populations of a North American freshwater catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, and the important role of a past geological event in the phylogeographic pattern of this species. A total of 330 individuals of flathead catfish, representing 34 drainages throughout the species' native range in the United States, were collected. While more than 70% of individuals sampled from the Southeastern Gulf Coast drainages were characterized by the presence of a 35-bp mtDNA D-loop tandem repeat proximal to the 5′ end, more than 95% of samples from the Mississippi River and its tributaries, as well as from the drainages of the Southwest Gulf Coast region, lack this tandem repeat. Concomitantly, phylogenetic analyses revealed the existence of two distinct matrilineal lineages (lineage I and II) of P. olivaris, which were estimated to have diverged from a common ancestor sometime between 0.70 and 2.05 myr ago. While one lineage is comprised of samples from the Mississippi River and its tributaries and rivers draining to the Southwest Gulf Coast, the other lineage is comprised of samples from the Southeastern Gulf Coast drainages. Each lineage also has two sub-lineages, which also showed geographic specificity.