Phylogenomic Analysis of a Putative Missing Link Sparks Reinterpretation of Leech Evolution.

ABSTRACT: Leeches (Hirudinida) comprise a charismatic, yet often maligned group of organisms. Despite their ecological, economic, and medical importance, a general consensus on the phylogenetic relationships of major hirudinidan lineages is lacking. This absence of a consistent, robust phylogeny of early-diverging lineages has hindered our understanding of the underlying processes that enabled evolutionary diversification of this clade. Here, we used an anchored hybrid enrichment-based phylogenomic approach, capturing hundreds of loci to investigate phylogenetic relationships among major hirudinidan lineages and their closest living relatives. Our results suggest that a dramatic reinterpretation of early leech evolution is warranted. We recovered Branchiobdellida as sister to a clade that includes a

SUBMITTER: Phillips AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6598468 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature