The phylogeography and taxonomy of a model-species complex, the blue-spotted maskray (formerly Neotrygon kuhlii): a short review

Abstract

Abstract The present paper reviews the phylogeography of an emblematic Indo-West Pacific stingray and aims at linking its taxonomic implications with conservation management. The blue spotted maskray was once understoodto be a single species widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea to Fiji and from southern Japan to New South Wales. Genetics have shown that it actually consists of a number of distinct lineages with parapatric distribution. Phylogenetic data suggest an evolutionary origin of this species complex in the southwestern Pacific in the Miocene. The blue-spotted maskray progressively colonized the Indo-West Pacific from the East to the West. The lineages in the western Coral Triangle and the Indian Ocean are the most recent. Against this updated taxonomic and phylogeographic background, there remains a need for research on the population dynamics and fisheries management of this increasingly threatened species complex.This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr Irma S. Arlyza.