Bob
Schelly's Lamprologini Research
Lamprologines, a model
group for studying the evolution and speciation of
African Great Lake cichlids, have been included in
several recent molecular studies. However, these studies
have used only one or two genes, and have included fewer
than a third of lamprologine species, while neglecting
the diversity of riverine cichlids in West and Central
Africa. None have employed morphology. This study will
thoroughly investigate lamprologine phylogenetics using
both morphology and DNA sequences from several
mitochondrial and nuclear genes, exhaustively sampling
both Congo River and Lake Tanganyika lamprologines and
diverse outgroups, including other lacustrine lineages
and a complete sampling of riverine cichlids from West
and Central Africa. By resolving the placement of
lamprologines within the African cichlid radiation, this
study will greatly improve knowledge of cichlid
phylogeny. Within lamprologines, it will shed light on
intriguing evolutionary questions, including the number
and nature of transitions between rivers and lakes, the
evolution of shell-dwelling and concomitant
miniturization, and the extent of morphological
convergence within the group.
Lepidiolamprologus
phyogeny from
Schelly et al (2005) Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution.