Molecular phylogeography of Palearctic and Nearctic ciscoes

We studied mtDNA phylogeography of Palearctic and Nearctic Coregonus, including four species of ciscoes (C. sardinella, C. autumnalis, C. artedi, C. laurettae), Baikal omul (C. migratorius) and related taxa. The C. sardinella complex, which includes C. peled, is distantly related to the other cisco species. Eurasian C. sardinella haplotypes are the most basal in this lineage. C. autumnalis and C. laurettae are well-differentiated species and belong to a clade that also includes C. artedi. This clade likely originated from Baikal omul which is intermediate between the C. autumnalis complex and the rest of the network. Haplotypes from Siberian populations of C. autumnalis occupy the basal positions of the C. autumalis complex. We conclude Siberia is the place of origin for the C. autumnalis and C. sardinella complexes. Two routes of invasion, along the northern and southern coasts of the Pleistocene Bering land bridge, explain the origin of the North American populations of C. sardinella (north), C. autumnalis (north), C. laurettae (south) and C. artedi (probably south).