Phylogenetic Relationships of the Tribe Cheilinini (Labridae: Perciformes)

Morphological characters of 50-labrid fish species were compared for the purpose of discovering unique features that define cladistic groups within the labrid tribe Cheilinini (Labridae: Perciformes). Phylogenetic hypotheses at several hierarchical levels were generated by using the computer program PAUP 3.0 and a data set composed of 86 meristic, osteological, and color pattern characters. The tribe Cheilinini is monophyletic, including the five genera Cheilinus, Doratonotus, Epibulus, Oxycheilinus, and Wetmorella that form the “cheiline” lineage, and the five genera Cirrhilabrus, Paracheilinus, Pseudocheilinus, Pseudocheilinops, and Pteragogus that constitute the “pseudocheiline” lineage. The phylogeny of the cheiline lineage is completely resolved among the 18 species, whereas a generic pseudocheiline phylogeny is proposed. The outgroup used to polarize the characters within the tribe Cheilinini is a subset of genera in the tribe Labrini, including Centrolabrus, Labrus, Symphodus, Tautoga, and Tautogolabrus. The species-level tree proposed for the cheiline fishes is the first cladistic phylogeny available for a subgroup of the family Labridae.