Phylogeography of Eleotris fusca (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Eleotridae) in the Indo-Pacific area reveals a cryptic species in the Indian Ocean.

 Indo-Pacific insular freshwater systems are mainly dominated by amphidromous species. Eleotris fusca  is a widespread

one, its life cycle is characterised by a marine pelagic larval phase allowing the species to disperse in the ocean and then

to recruit to remote island rivers. In the present study, the population structure of E. fusca  over its Indo-Pacific distribution

range (Western Indian Ocean to French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean) was evaluated. We analysed a section of mitochondrial

COI  of 557 individuals sampled from 28 islands to visualise the population structure. Haplotypes diversity (Hd) was between

0.458 and 1 and, nucleotide diversity (π) was between 0.001 and 0.02. Two distinct genetic groups appeared, one in the

Indian Ocean and the other in the Pacific Ocean (FST  mean = 0.901; 5.2% average divergence). Given these results, complete

mitogenomes (mtDNA) were sequenced and combined with the nuclear Rhodopsin (Rh) gene for a subset of individuals.

The two phylogenetic trees based on each analysis showed the same genetic pattern: two different groups belonging to the

Indian and the Pacific oceans (6.6 and 1.6% of divergence for mtDNA and Rh gene respectively), which supported species

level differentiation. These analyses revealed the presence of two sister species confounded until present under the name of

Eleotris fusca . One of them is cryptic and endemic of the Indian Ocean and the other one is the true E. fusca , which keeps,

nevertheless, its status of widespread species.