Phylogenetic position of Loricifera inferred from nearly complete 18S and 28S rRNA gene sequences.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Loricifera is an enigmatic metazoan phylum; its morphology appeared to place it with Priapulida and Kinorhyncha in the group Scalidophora which, along with Nematoida (Nematoda and Nematomorpha), comprised the group Cycloneuralia. Scarce molecular data have suggested an alternative phylogenetic hypothesis, that the phylum Loricifera is a sister taxon to Nematomorpha, although the actual phylogenetic position of the phylum remains unclear.

Methods

Ecdysozoan phylogeny was reconstructed through maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses of nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA gene sequences from 60 species representing all eight ecdysozoan phyla, and including a newly collected loriciferan species.

Results

Ecdysozoa comprised two clades with high support

SUBMITTER: Yamasaki H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4657359 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature