Abstract

Freshwater mussels cannot spread through oceanic barriers and represent a suitable model to test the continental drift patterns. Here, we reconstruct the diversification of Oriental freshwater mussels (Unionidae) and revise their taxonomy. We show that the Indian Subcontinent harbors a rather taxonomically poor fauna, containing 25 freshwater mussel species from one subfamily (Parreysiinae). This subfamily most likely originated in East Gondwana in the Jurassic and its representatives arrived to Asia on two Gondwanan fragments (Indian Plate and Burma Terrane). We propose that the Burma Terrane was connected with the Indian Plate through the Greater India up to the terminal Cretaceous. Later on, during the entire Paleogene epoch, these blocks have served as isolated evolutionary hotspots for freshwater mussels. The Burma Terrane collided with mainland Asia in the Late Eocene, leading to the origin of the Mekong’s Indochinellini radiation. Our findings indicate that the Burma Terrane had played a major role as a Gondwanan “biotic ferry” alongside with the Indian Plate.

Details

Title
Oriental freshwater mussels arose in East Gondwana and arrived to Asia on the Indian Plate and Burma Terrane
Author
Bolotov, Ivan N 1 ; Pasupuleti Rajeev 2 ; Subba Rao Nalluri V 3 ; Unnikrishnan, Suresh Kumar 4 ; Chan Nyein 5 ; Lunn Zau 6 ; Win Than 7 ; Gofarov, Mikhail Y 8 ; Kondakov, Alexander V 9 ; Konopleva, Ekaterina S 9 ; Lyubas, Artyom A 8 ; Tomilova, Alena A 9 ; Vikhrev, Ilya V 1 ; Pfenninger, Markus 10 ; Düwel, Sophie S 10 ; Feldmeyer, Barbara 10 ; Nesemann, Hasko F 11 ; Karl-Otto, Nagel 12 

 N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, Russia (GRID:grid.513051.3); Northern Arctic Federal University, Arkhangelsk, Russia (GRID:grid.462706.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 0497 5323); International Union for Conservation of Nature, SSC/IUCN – Mollusc Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, Cambridge, UK (GRID:grid.452489.6) 
 Technical University of Graz, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBT), Graz, Austria (GRID:grid.410413.3) (ISNI:0000 0001 2294 748X) 
 Hyderabad, India (GRID:grid.410413.3) 
 Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Regional Facility for DNA Fingerprinting (RFDF), Trivandrum, India (GRID:grid.418917.2) (ISNI:0000 0001 0177 8509) 
 Fauna & Flora International – Myanmar Programme, Yangon, Myanmar (GRID:grid.418917.2) 
 Fauna & Flora International – Myanmar Programme, Yangon, Myanmar (GRID:grid.418917.2); University of New Brunswick, Biology Department, Saint John, Canada (GRID:grid.266820.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 0402 6152) 
 Dawei University, Department of Zoology, Dawei, Myanmar (GRID:grid.266820.8) 
 N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, Russia (GRID:grid.513051.3) 
 N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, Russia (GRID:grid.513051.3); Northern Arctic Federal University, Arkhangelsk, Russia (GRID:grid.462706.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 0497 5323) 
10  Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Molecular Ecology Group, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (GRID:grid.507705.0) 
11  Hofheim am Taunus, Germany (GRID:grid.507705.0) 
12  Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M., Malacological Section, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (GRID:grid.462628.c) (ISNI:0000 0001 2184 5457) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2623203259
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.