Phylogeny of the Electric Rays of the Family Narcinidae (Gill, 1862): Systematic Review and Evidence of the Dispersal Routes to America

ABSTRACT The family Narcinidae has a cosmopolitan distribution; however, its systematic composition and phylogenetic position within Torpediniformes remain poorly understood. This study evaluates the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the family Narcinidae and investigates its distribution patterns using molecular systematics. We analyzed mitochondrial COI sequences from specimens collected along the American coast, combined with publicly available data (GenBank/BOLD) and inferred evolutionary patterns through genetic distance analyses, haplotype network reconstruction and species delimitation methods. Our results demonstrate that electric rays originated in the Central Indo‐Pacific realm and reveal two dispersal routes to the American. The first route was from the Central Indo‐Pacific to the Pacific Ocean and then the Caribbean Sea, prior to the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. The second route originated in the Central Indo‐Pacific, passed through South Africa and then crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The principal torpediniformes lineages diversified between the end of the Cretaceous and the early Palaeocene, with extant narcinid taxa diversifying between 25 and 20 Mya. The present study confirms the nonmonophyly of Narcinidae and corroborates the validity of the genus Narcinops , as well as the restriction of Narcine to American coastal environments. Additionally, three Atlantic species are documented and cryptic lineages are identified within Narcine entemedor and Narcine maculata . These findings improve taxonomic resolution, reveal hidden diversity and provide essential baseline data to support conservation planning, including the identification of management units, prioritization of vulnerable populations and the implementation of more effective monitoring and protection measures for electric rays.