@article {671, title = {Phylogenetic reconstruction of African weakly electric fish (Campylomormyrus spp.) is suggestive of ancient introgression events}, journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution}, volume = {214}, year = {2026}, month = {Jan-01-2026}, pages = {108452}, abstract = {

The African weakly electric fish genus Campylomormyrus belongs to the species-rich family Mormyridae and comprises 15 described species. Previous species trees that focus on the genus, have included at most ten species. The resulting phylogenies have been used to explain the evolution of the species-specific electrical organ discharge (EOD) and interpreted in the context of sympatric speciation caused by disruptive selection. However, available molecular phylogenies that are focused on the Campylomormyrus genus rely only on a limited number of genetic markers. Here, we used ddRAD sequencing to genotype 65 individuals from twelve Campylomormyrus species and Gnathonemus petersii at more than 8,000 SNPs. We reconstruct a robust species tree that is suggestive of ancient introgression events between different species, which might affect both genetic and trait variability in the genus. Different levels of genetic and EOD diversity in two significant Campylomormyrus clades reveals that i) certain species might be in early stages of their speciation process, ii) that hybridization/introgression occurs in mormyrids and iii) that EOD-related genes could be potential speciation genes. Our genomic approach demonstrates the significance of these findings in understanding the evolution of Campylomormyrus.

}, keywords = {Ancient introgression, Campylomormyrus, ddRAD sequencing, EOD, phylogeny, speciation}, issn = {1055-7903}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108452}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108452}, author = {Canitz, Julia and Kirschbaum, Frank and Vendrami, David L.J. and Mamonekene, Victor and Tiedemann, Ralph} } @article {481, title = {Cryptomyrus: a new genus of Mormyridae (Teleostei, Osteoglossomorpha) with two new species from Gabon, West-Central Africa}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {561}, year = {2016}, month = {Aug-02-2016}, pages = {117 - 150}, abstract = {

Abstract
We use mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to show that three weakly electric mormyrid fish specimens collected at three widely separated localities in Gabon, Africa over a 13-year period represent an unrecognized lineage within the subfamily Mormyrinae and determine its phylogenetic position with respect to other taxa. We describe these three specimens as a new genus containing two new species. Cryptomyrus, new genus, is readily distinguished from all other mormyrid genera by a combination of features of squamation, morphometrics, and dental attributes. Cryptomyrus ogoouensis, new species, is differentiated from its single congener, Cryptomyrus ona, new species, by the possession of an anal-fin origin located well in advance of the dorsal fin, a narrow caudal peduncle and caudal-fin lobes nearly as long as the peduncle. In C. ona, the anal-fin origin is located only slightly in advance of the dorsal fin, the caudal peduncle is deep and the caudal-fin lobes considerably shorter than the peduncle. Continued discovery of new taxa within the \“Lower Guinea Clade\” of Mormyridae highlights the incompleteness of our knowledge of fish diversity in West-Central Africa. We present a revised key to the mormyrid genera of Lower Guinea.

R\ésum\é
Nous avons d\émontr\é avec des marqueurs mitochondriaux et nucl\éaires que trois sp\écimens de poissons mormyrid\és faiblement \électriques, collect\és \à trois localit\és au Gabon sur une p\ériode de 13 ans, forment une lign\ée inconnue au sein de la sous famille des Mormyrinae dont nous avons d\étermin\é la position phylog\én\étique. Nous d\écrivons un nouveau genre et deux nouvelles esp\èces pour ces trois sp\écimens. Cryptomyrus, nouveau genre, se distingue des autres genres de mormyrid\és par une combinaison de caract\ères de l\’\écaillure, morphom\étriques, et dentaires. Cryptomyrus ogoouensis, nouvelle esp\èce, se distingue de sa seule esp\èce cong\én\érique par sa nageoire anale qui commence nettement en avant de sa nageoire dorsale, son p\édoncule caudal gracile et les lobes de sa nageoire caudale pratiquement aussi longs que son p\édoncule caudal. Chez Cryptomyrus ona, nouvelle esp\èce, la nageoire anale commence l\ég\èrement en avant de l\’origine de la nageoire dorsale, le p\édoncule caudal est large, et les lobes de la nageoire caudale sont plus courts que le p\édoncule caudal. La d\écouverte ininterrompue de nouveaux taxa dans le \«clade de basse Guin\ée\» des Mormyridae illustre notre connaissance incompl\ète de la diversit\é des poissons de l\’ouest de l\’Afrique centrale. Nous pr\ésentons une cl\é r\évis\ée des genres de Mormyridae de basse Guin\ée.

}, keywords = {African freshwater fishes, DNA, electric organ discharge, EOD, integrative taxonomy, Mormyrinae, phylogeny, rarity, weakly electric fish}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.561.7137}, url = {http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=7137}, author = {John P Sullivan and S{\'e}bastien Lavou{\'e} and Carl D Hopkins} }