Genomic Data Reveals Cryptic Diversity in the Soda Lake Cichlid <i>Oreochromis amphimelas</i>.

ABSTRACT: The cichlid fishes of East Africa are renowned for their rapid and species-rich adaptive radiations. However, some specialist cichlid lineages in the region have not undergone extensive diversification; it is plausible that these lineages contain cryptic allopatric diversity. The tilapiine cichlid Oreochromis amphimelas (Hilgendorf, 1905) is a distinctive species specialised for high salinity, high alkalinity and high temperature soda lakes in the East African Rift Valley. Here, we investigated variation among O. amphimelas populations using a combination of reduced-representation genome sequences, mitochondrial DNA sequences and morphological data. Genetic data revealed two highly divergent genomic lineages, with no evidence of ongoing gene flow. Specifically, the Lake Manya

SUBMITTER: Sherlock MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12425602 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature