Ecdysozoan mitogenomics: evidence for a common origin of the legged invertebrates, the Panarthropoda.

ABSTRACT: Ecdysozoa is the recently recognized clade of molting animals that comprises the vast majority of extant animal species and the most important invertebrate model organisms--the fruit fly and the nematode worm. Evolutionary relationships within the ecdysozoans remain, however, unresolved, impairing the correct interpretation of comparative genomic studies. In particular, the affinities of the three Panarthropoda phyla (Arthropoda, Onychophora, and Tardigrada) and the position of Myriapoda within Arthropoda (Mandibulata vs. Myriochelata hypothesis) are among the most contentious issues in animal phylogenetics. To elucidate these relationships, we have determined and analyzed complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two Tardigrada, Hypsibius dujardini and Thulinia sp. (th

SUBMITTER: Rota-Stabelli O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2998192 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature