Molecular Phylogenetics of Freshwater Crustaceans

Molecular phylogenetics has transformed our understanding of freshwater crustacean diversity by employing DNA sequence data to unravel evolutionary relationships, biogeographic histories and species boundaries. Studies increasingly integrate mitochondrial and nuclear markers—such as cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S and 18S ribosomal genes—to construct robust phylogenetic trees and haplotype networks. These approaches have clarified speciation processes in caridean shrimps and palaemonid prawns, revealing both ancient vicariance events linked to tectonic shifts and more recent dispersal facilitated by hydrological connectivity. The detection of cryptic species, long concealed by morphological stasis, has emphasised the need for molecular diagnostics in biodiversity assessment. Insights from phylogeography inform conservation priorities for imperilled lineages, guide taxonomic revision and underpin sustainable management of economically important taxa in aquaculture and freshwater ecosystems worldwide.

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Molecular Phylogenetics of Freshwater Crustaceans publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in molecular phylogenetics of freshwater crustaceans across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): Genetic material found in mitochondria, commonly used for inferring phylogenetic relationships due to its rapid rate of evolution.

Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI): A mitochondrial gene widely employed as a DNA barcode for species identification and delimitation.

Cryptic species: Distinct evolutionary lineages that are morphologically similar and often overlooked without genetic analysis.

Multilocus phylogeny: A phylogenetic framework based on multiple independent genetic markers, providing greater resolution than single-gene analyses.

Vicariance: The fragmentation of species ranges by geological events, leading to divergence of lineages.

Monophyly: A group of organisms consisting of an ancestral species and all its descendants, essential for defining natural taxa.

References

1. In silico prospecting of the mtDNA of Macrobrachium amazonicum from transcriptome data. BMC Genomics (2023).
2. Phylogenetic evidence that both ancient vicariance and dispersal have contributed to the biogeographic patterns of anchialine cave shrimps. Scientific Reports (2017).
3. Multigene phylogeny and taxonomic revision of American shrimps of the genus Cryphiops Dana, 1852 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) implies a proposal for reversal of precedence with Macrobrachium Spence Bate, 1868. ZooKeys (2021).
4. Molecular phylogeny and species delimitation of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium pilimanus species group, with descriptions of three new species from Thailand. PeerJ (2020).