Phylogenomic resolution of scorpions reveals multilevel discordance with morphological phylogenetic signal.

ABSTRACT: Scorpions represent an iconic lineage of arthropods, historically renowned for their unique bauplan, ancient fossil record and venom potency. Yet, higher level relationships of scorpions, based exclusively on morphology, remain virtually untested, and no multilocus molecular phylogeny has been deployed heretofore towards assessing the basal tree topology. We applied a phylogenomic assessment to resolve scorpion phylogeny, for the first time, to our knowledge, sampling extensive molecular sequence data from all superfamilies and examining basal relationships with up to 5025 genes. Analyses of supermatrices as well as species tree approaches converged upon a robust basal topology of scorpions that is entirely at odds with traditional systematics and controverts previous understanding of scor

SUBMITTER: Sharma PP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4375871 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature