Mitogenomic perspectives into sciaenid fishes' phylogeny and evolution origin in the New World

- A well-resolved phylogeny tree of sciaenid fishes was recovered.
- The sciaenid fishes originated during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous Period.
- The origin of Old World sciaenid is estimated at 126 Mya.
- The ancestors of Old World sciaenid fishes were derived from species of New World.

Sciaenid fishes are widely distributed throughout the coastal waters and estuaries of the world. A total of 23 genera of this family are endemic to the Old World. However, evolutionary relationships among Old World sciaenid fishes and their origin have remained unresolved despite their diversity and importance. Besides, hypotheses that explain the origin and biogeographical distribution of sciaenid fishes are controversial. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of seven representative sciaenid species were determined and a well-resolved tree was recovered. This new timescale demonstrated that the sciaenid originated during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous Period. The estimated origin time of sciaenid fish is 208 Mya, and the origin of Old World sciaenid is estimated at 126 Mya. Reconstruction of ancestral distributions indicated a plesiomorphic distribution and center of origin in the New World, with at least one lineage subsequently dispersed to the Old World. Moreover, we conclude that the common ancestors of Old World sciaenid fishes were derived from species of New World.