The mitochondrial genome of Colossendeis megalonyx supports a basal position of Colossendeidae within the Pycnogonida

• Published in: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
• Main Authors: Dietz, Lars, Mayer, Christoph, P. Arango, Claudia, Leese, Florian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2011
• Subjects: Animal Systematics and Taxonomy; Southern Ocean
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10072/55647; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2010.12.016

We present the almost complete (16,007 bp) mitochondrial genome of a Colossendeis megalonyx specimen from the Southern Ocean and discuss gene order and tRNA structure in a comparative phylogenetic context. Our data suggest a basal position of the colossendeid lineage corroborating earlier phylogenetic studies but disagreeing with results of a recently published study that supported a highly derived sister-group relationship of Colossendeidae and Nymphonidae. Our results, together with BLAST searches and phylogenetic comparisons, indicate that the specimen presented as Colossendeis sp. in a series of recent studies had been misidentified. It has now been identified as a nymphonid species. No Full Text