Meeting Abstract

81.3  Sunday, Jan. 6  Phylogeny and biogeography of Asian freshwater crabs (Brachyura, Gecarcinucidae) KLAUS, S.*; BRANDIS, D.; NG, P.K.L.; SCHUBART, C.D.; University of Heidelberg, Germany; Zoological Museum, Kiel, Germany; National University of Singapore; University of Regensburg, Germany sebastian.klaus@biologie.uni-regensburg.de

The current state of freshwater crab taxonomy argues for the freshwater crab family of the Gecarcinucidae to have its major species diversity in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of this taxon remains poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the phylogeny of the gecarcinucid freshwater crabs with molecular markers (mitochondrial 16S rDNA and the nuclear histone3 gene). The results confirm the monophyly of the Gecarcinucidae. We identified several phylogenetically defined lineages within the Gecarcinucidae. Based on our data, we propose a phylogeographic hypothesis with an origin of the Gecarcinucidae on the Indian subcontinent and several dispersal events of freshwater crabs from the Malay Peninsula and Sundaland respectively into the Malesian Archipelago These events can be linked to neogene palaeogeography. The comparison of the current molecular phylogeny with previous morphological approaches to gecarcinucid phylogeny reveals several cases of homoplasy.