Molecular phylogeny and genetic divergence of the introduced populations of Japanese guppies, Poecilia reticulata

A phylogenetic tree of guppies from seven introduced Japanese populations was constructed using a mitochondrial gene, and the relationship between these Japanese populations and indigenous South American populations was examined. Phylogenetic trees constructed by maximum parsimony and neighbor joining methods indicated four major groups: Group A: Trinidadian populations; Group B: the northernmost Okinawa populations; Group C: the northern Okinawa populations; Group D: Shimoda populations and the remainder of Trinidadian, Venezuelan, and southern Okinawa populations. Considerable genetic differences were observed among the haplotypes within each Okinawa population similar to that found among haplotypes of different native populations, but not within the Shimoda population, because each Okinawa population included haplotypes belonging to different groups. Genetic differences between Groups B, C, and D might reflect those of the introduced lineages; however, these differences might not result from the divergence after introduction events. These results suggested that multiple introductions of different breeding lineages might cause considerable divergence within and between Okinawa populations.