Peer review process
Not revised: This Reviewed Preprint includes the authors’ original preprint (without revision), an eLife assessment, and public reviews.
Read more about eLife’s peer review process.Editors
- Reviewing EditorMin ZhuInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Senior EditorGeorge PerryPennsylvania State University, University Park, United States of America
Reviewer #1 (Public review):
Summary:
This is by far the phylogenetic analysis with the most comprehensive coverage for the Nemacheilidae family in Cobitoidea. It is a much-lauded effort. The conclusions derived using phylogenetic tools coincide with geological events, though not without difficulties (Africa pathway).
Strengths:
Comprehensive use of genetic tools
Weaknesses:
Lack of more fossil records.
Reviewer #2 (Public review):
Summary:
The authors present the results of molecular phylogenetic analysis with very comprehensive samplings including 471 specimens belonging to 250 species, trying to give a holistic reconstruction of the evolutionary history of freshwater fishes (Nemacheilidae) across Eurasia since the early Eocene. This is of great interest to general readers.
Strengths:
They provide very vast data and conduct comprehensive analyses. They suggested that Nemacheilidae contain 6 major clades, and the earliest differentiation can be dated to the early Eocene.
Weaknesses:
The analysis is incomplete, and the manuscript discussion is not well organized. The authors did not discuss the systematic problems that widely exist. They also did not use the conventional way to discuss the evolutionary process of branches or clades, but just chronologically described the overall history.
