Phylogenetic and biogeographic history of the Snooks (Centropomidae: Carangiformes) spanning the closure of the Isthmus of Panama

Amphiamerican New World fishes provide a unique opportunity to explore the impact of geological processes and the formation of geographic barriers on biological diversification across both spatial and temporal dimensions. We employed phylogenetic and biogeographic methods to assess the impact of the emergence of the isthmus of Panama on the evolutionary history of Snooks. Bayesian methods were used for phylogenetic inference and divergence time estimation, incorporating the fossil record of Carangidae, Centropomidae, Istiophoriformes, Latidae, and Sphyraenidae to establish a timeline using methods of stratigraphic intervals. Biogeographic models were explored to test the hypothesis that trans-Isthmian vicariant events are coeval with the Isthmus closure. Our results suggest a sister relationship between Centropomidae and Sphyraenidae with a common ancestor that originated in the Upper Cretaceous ([~]78.18 Ma). The biogeographic model DEC+j indicated within-area speciation and dispersal (founder effect) as the primary modes of speciation in the genera Centropomus, Lates, and Sphyraena. The dispersion in the family Centropomidae was estimated from the Tropical Eastern Pacific to the Tropical Western Atlantic during the emergence of the isthmus of Panama. The alignment of divergence times with ancestral species distributions suggests a possible synchrony between the current distribution in Centropomus species and the gradual processes involved in the formation of the Isthmus of Panama during the Miocene. Furthermore, recent speciation events within each basin imply an influence of post-closure environmental conditions on the evolution of this group of fishes.