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Endemic species typically have a narrow niche breadth, and are likely more vulnerable to extinction than more widespread taxa.Squalidus multimaculatusis a small cyprinid endemic to the Korean Peninsula, and its reported geographical range was restricted to several small rivers located along the southeast coast. Several populations ofS. multimaculatushave supposedly been subject to a variety of recent anthropogenic actions. Here, we analyzed the pattern of genetic diversity within and among populations ofS. multimaculatususing nine microsatellite loci to quantify the relative contributions of human-mediated processes to the contemporary distribution and genetic structure. Overall, low levels of genetic diversity were exhibited in the populations ofS. multimaculatus. Genetic differentiations among populations were not completely represented by their geographical proximity, likely resulting from the low intrapopulation genetic variability and anthropogenic transplants. The most conspicuous outcome of the anthropogenic activities was the introgression of alleles from a closely related species,S. gracilis majimae. Our study showed that anthropogenic transplanting, even with only a small number of individuals, can challenge our conservation goal to maintain the species integrity that has long been shaped in evolutionary processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic isolation and colonization events have been considered complimentary historical processes in shaping the contemporary structure of regional biotas and taxonomic diversity. Accordingly, insight regarding vicariance and geodispersal might be gained by the analysis of phylogenetic pattern of related but geographically isolated taxa. Here, we examined endangeredRhodeus pseudosericeusin the Korean Peninsula based on mitochondrial cytochromebsequences to provide information regarding the evolutionary origin of Amur-European bitterlings,Rhodeus sericeusandRhodeus amarus. Our data and the contemporary distribution ofR. pseudosericeusindicate that founding individuals have colonized the western coast of the Korean Peninsula via the paleo-Huang He River and since been subdivided into populations isolated by drainage formation. Our phylogenetic analyses indicated that it was likelyR. pseudosericeushad a sister relationship to theR. sericeus–amaruscomplex, indicating that theR. sericeus–amarusclade originated from the dispersal of eitherR. pseudosericeusor its ancestral lineage. The geodispersal scenario based on our phylogenetic analyses supports the previous hypothesis that the Amur River likely created confluences with some tributaries of the paleo-Huang He River. Overall, the present study offers new insight into the taxonomic entity ofR. pseudosericeusand a more comprehensive understanding of the phylogeographic history ofR. sericeusand European bitterling lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present paper, we make a first report on the complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Leptaulax koreanus, a Korean endemic species, in Passalidae. The mitogenome is 18,730 base pairs with 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and a 4240 bp long AT-rich region. The overall base composition is 78.4% AT and 21.6% GC. The maximum likelihood analysis suggested that L. koreanus is a sister to other Scarabaeoidea species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]