Evolutionary relationships of anglerfishes (Lophiiformes) reconstructed using ultraconserved elements

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Phylogenetics

Background:

• Deep-sea evolution presents challenges in understanding macroevolutionary consequences.
• Convergent adaptations in deep-sea environments complicate phylogenetic relationship elucidation.
• Lophiiform anglerfishes display extreme specializations, yet their evolutionary history remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the evolutionary history of Lophiiformes, focusing on deep-sea anglerfishes (Ceratioidei) and frogfishes/handfishes (Antennarioidei).
• To investigate phylogenetic relationships using genomic data and phylogenomic inference methods.
• To re-evaluate family classifications within the Antennarioidei based on molecular and morphological evidence.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 1000 ultraconserved elements for phylogenomic analysis.
• Employed phylogenomic inference methods to reconstruct evolutionary relationships.
• Incorporated morphological data and splits network analysis to assess reticulations.

Main Results:

• Recovered a robust suborder-level topology for Lophiiformes: Lophioidei as sister to the rest, Ogcocephaloidei and Antennarioidei as a sister group, and Chaunacioidei and Ceratioidei forming a clade.
• Discovered novel relationships within the Ceratioidei that conflict with previous studies.
• Identified non-monophyletic Antennarioidei, leading to the proposal of three new families (Histiophrynidae, Rhycheridae, Tathicarpidae) and a re-evaluation of Antennariidae.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a clearer understanding of Lophiiform suborder relationships and proposes significant revisions to Antennarioidei family classifications.
• Ultraconserved elements offer a powerful tool for resolving deep-sea fish phylogenies, despite challenges posed by convergent evolution.
• Further taxonomic sampling is needed to fully resolve deep-sea anglerfish (Ceratioidei) relationships.