鲈鲤属Percocypris隶属于鲤形目Cypriniformes鲤科Cyprinidae，是大型凶猛的淡水鱼类。鲈鲤属鱼类的分布格局十分独特，即在青藏高原南部的每个主要水系中只分布一种或亚种，这种特殊的地理格局，为验证青藏高原东南缘古水系形态及其对生物物种的影响的假说提供了理想模型。然而，该属最基本的分类问题，仍然存在着争议。
昆明动物研究所杨君兴研究员和陈小勇副研究员指导博士研究生王茉通过较为全面的取样和综合选取线粒体基因和核基因作为分子标记，采用分子系统学的研究手段，首次对鲈鲤属的系统发育关系进行研究。该属的单系性得到证实，其姐妹群为裂腹鱼属，属内各类群之间的系统发育关系得以阐明，填补了该类群的系统发育研究空白。另外，通过多变量形态度量学分析和骨骼特征分析对鲈鲤属鱼类各主要支系的形态特征进行了比较。结合分子系统学和形态学分析结果，认为鲈鲤属的分类体系应该进行重新修订，应包括六个种（之前正式命名的有2种3亚种）。并且，基于新的分类框架，该属每个物种的保护等级应被重新评估。通过分化时间估计和祖先水系推断，对鲈鲤属的起源和演化进行重构，提出如下假说：鲈鲤属起源于中新世的一个青藏高原东部的古水系。由青藏高原隆起造成的水系格局变化的隔离作用可能在其物种分化过程中起着重要作用。此外，探讨了该属鱼类不同生态型的形态分歧与其环境的相关性。
此研究结果已发表于国际期刊PLoS ONE上，该研究得到了国家自然科学基金项目（30870288 和 30730017）的资助。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061827
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Molecular Phylogeny and Biogeography of Percocypris (Cyprinidae, Teleostei)
Wang M, Yang J-X, Chen X-Y
Fierce predatory freshwater fishes, the species of Percocypris (Cyprinidae, Teleostei) inhabit large rivers or lakes, and have a specific distribution pattern. Only a single species or subspecies occurs in each large-scale drainage basin of the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, the molecular phylogenetic relationships for all but one of the described subspecies/species of Percocypris were investigated based on three mitochondrial genes (16S; COI; Cyt b) and one nuclear marker (Rag2). The results of Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses show that Percocypris is a strongly supported monophyletic group and that it is the sister group of Schizothorax. Combined with analyses of morphological characters, our results suggest that Percocypris needs to be reclassified, and we propose that six species be recognized, with corresponding distributions in five main drainages (including one lake). In addition, based on the results of the estimation of divergence times and ancestral drainages, we hypothesize that Percocypris likely originated in the early Miocene from a paleo-connected drainage system containing the contemporary main drainages of the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. This study suggests that vicariance (due to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau modifying the large-scale morphologies of drainage basins in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau) has played an important role in the speciation of the genus. Furthermore, external morphological characters (such as the length of the fins) and an internal trait (the position of pterygiophore) appear to be correlated with different habitats in rivers and the lake.
