异齿亚纲贝类18S rRNA基因序列变异与系统发生

目的:了解异齿亚纲贝类的分类地位。方法:从NCBI数据库下载了异齿亚纲贝类中25个不同种的18S rRNA序列,用MEGA 5.0软件进行序列比对,用3种不同的算法构建出异齿亚纲的系统发育树。结果:显示缝栖蛤科最早与其它的7科分开,发生了较大的遗传分化,其余类群以较高的支持率聚在一起。在NJ树与ML树中蛤蜊科与海螂目的海螂科、蓝蛤科、船蛆科和海笋科聚在一起形成一个大支,而在MP树中蛤蜊科又与帘蛤科和蹄蛤科聚为一支。结论:25个不同种并未按照这两个目聚为清晰明确的两个大支,而是相互之间有嵌套。     

10种帘蛤科贝类COI基因序列分析及系统发育研究

应用通用引物扩增了凸加夫蛤(Gafrarium tumidum)、锯齿巴非蛤(Paphiagallus)、细纹卵蛤(Pitar striatum)、钝缀锦蛤(Tapes dorsatus)、裂纹格特蛤(Marcia hiantina)5种帘蛤科贝类COI基因片段,并与GenBank数据库收录的加夫蛤(Gafrarium pectinatum)、沟纹巴非蛤(Paphia exarata)、日本卵蛤(Pitar japonicum)、日本格特蛤(Marcia japonica)、四射缀锦蛤(Tapes belcheri)5种帘蛤科贝类的同源序列进行比对分析.结果表明:所有物种扩增片段长度均为616 bp,序列A+T平均含量(62.9％)明显高于G+C含量.在616个位点中,保守位点数为282个,变异位点数为334个,其中简约信息位点数为283个.以COI基因片段序列为标记,以海螂科砂海螂(Mya arenaria)作外群,构建了帘蛤科贝类的系统进化树,其拓扑结构显示:细纹卵蛤和日本卵蛤聚为一枝,凸加夫蛤和加夫蛤聚为一枝,锯齿巴非蛤和沟纹巴非蛤聚为一枝,四射缀锦蛤单独聚为一枝,钝缀锦蛤、裂纹格特蛤和日本格特蛤聚为一枝,最后所有帘蛤科物种聚为一枝,与外群相区别,其结果与传统形态分类基本一致.研究表明,线粒体COI基因作为帘蛤科贝类DNA条形码在物种鉴定方面具有可靠性,可以作为物种分类的重要辅助手段.     

10种帘蛤科贝类COI基因序列分析及系统发育研究

应用通用引物扩增了凸加夫蛤（Gafrarium tumidum）、锯齿巴非蛤（Paphia gallus）、细纹卵蛤（Pitar striatum）、钝缀锦蛤（Tapes dorsatus）、裂纹格特蛤（Marcia hiantina） 5种帘蛤科贝类COI基因片段，并与GenBank数据库收录的加夫蛤（Gafrarium pectinatum）、沟纹巴非蛤（Paphia exarata）、日本卵蛤（Pitar japonicum）、日本格特蛤（Marcia japonica）、四射缀锦蛤（Tapes belcheri ）5种帘蛤科贝类的同源序列进行比对分析。结果表明：所有物种扩增片段长度均为616 bp，序列A+T平均含量（62.9%）明显高于G+C含量。在 616个位点中，保守位点数为282个，变异位点数为334个，其中简约信息位点数为283个。以COI基因片段序列为标记，以海螂科砂海螂（Mya arenaria）作外群，构建了帘蛤科贝类的系统进化树，其拓扑结构显示：细纹卵蛤和日本卵蛤聚为一枝，凸加夫蛤和加夫蛤聚为一枝，锯齿巴非蛤和沟纹巴非蛤聚为一枝，四射缀锦蛤单独聚为一枝，钝缀锦蛤、裂纹格特蛤和日本格特蛤聚为一枝，最后所有帘蛤科物种聚为一枝，与外群相区别，其结果与传统形态分类基本一致。研究表明，线粒体COI基因作为帘蛤科贝类DNA条形码在物种鉴定方面具有可靠性，可以作为物种分类的重要辅助手段。     

基于线粒体细胞色素c氧化酶亚基I基因序列的帘蛤科贝类分子系统发育研究

对21种帘蛤科贝类线粒体细胞色素c氧化酶亚基Ⅰ(cytochrome c oxidase subunit I,COI)基因核苷酸序列进行了分析,以探讨这一序列在种质鉴定、分子系统发生研究中的应用价值。测序结果表明,所有物种扩增片段长度均为707 bp(含引物),序列A+T含量(62.4%—67.8%)明显高于G+C含量。物种间共有变异位点379个,其中简约信息位点334个;此区段共编码235个氨基酸,种间共有氨基酸变异位点100个。以COI基因片段序列为标记,用中国蛤蜊(Mactra chinensis)作外群,构建了35种帘蛤科贝类(其中14种贝类COI序列从GenBank下载)的系统发生树,结合拓扑结构分析和序列比对分析,结果表明:支持将短文蛤(Meretrix petechinalis)和丽文蛤(M.lusoria)订为文蛤(M.meretrix)的同物异名的观点,建议将丽文蛤和短文蛤订为文蛤的地理亚种;支持将薄片镜蛤(Dosinia corrugata)和D.angulosa订为2个独立种的观点;认为将波纹巴非蛤(Paphia undulata)和织锦巴非蛤(P.textile)订为2个独立种是合适的。COI基因序列含有丰富的遗传信息,适合作为帘蛤科贝类种群遗传结构和系统发生研究的分子标记。     

基于18S rRNA基因序列分析唇口目苔藓动物主要类群的系统发生关系

对隶属于3亚目、5次目、20科、23属共25个种类的唇口目(裸唇纲)苔藓虫18S rRNA基因部分序列进行了序列测定.结合从GenBank中获得的该类群其它7个种类的18S rRNA基因同源序列,以序列分析软件对其序列组成和变异进行了比较分析;同时,以羽苔虫(被唇纲)和管孔苔虫(窄唇纲)为外类群,以邻接法和最大简约法重建了它们的系统发生树,分析了该目主要类群系统发生关系.序列分析结果显示:经比对后序列长度为884 bp,其中保守位点241个,可变位点643个,简约信息位点357个;A,T,C和G 4碱基平均含量分别为23.8%、22.8%、24.4%和28.9%.分子系统树表明:本研究所有有囊类构成1个单系群,其中檐胞次目的几种苔虫位于皮壳次目内部;无囊类形成1个多系群,其中的亚目级(新唇口亚目)和次目级分类阶元(枝室次目、假软壁次目和隐壁次目)也都为多系发生,这些结果与前人的分子系统学研究结果大体一致,而与传统的形态分类体系间存在明显的冲突.     

线粒体COⅠ和16S rRNA片段确定近江蛏和缢蛏属的分类地位

对5种双壳类软体动物(近江蛏Sinonovacula rivularis、缢蛏Sinonovacula constricta、小刀蛏Cultellus attenuatus、尖刀蛏Cultellus scalprum和大竹蛏Solen grandis)的线粒体基因COⅠ和16S rRNA部分序列进行测序和分析, 并结合GenBank中其他竹蛏超科和樱蛤超科物种COⅠ和16S rRNA片段, 计算种间遗传距离, 构建系统发育树, 探讨近江蛏及缢蛏属的分类地位。结果表明, 5个物种COⅠ和16S rRNA片段A+T含量均远高于G+C含量, 近江蛏与缢蛏之间的碱基序列差异和遗传距离均已达到种间差异水平, 确定近江蛏为缢蛏属的一个种。分别构建COⅠ(砂海螂为外群)和16S rRNA片段(密鳞牡蛎为外群)的Neighbor-Joining系统树, 两者的拓扑结构都明确显示, 缢蛏属为灯塔蛤科一个属, 灯塔蛤科录属于竹蛏超科, 而不录属于樱蛤超科。       

毛蚶、泥蚶和魁蚶ITS1核苷酸序列分析

对毛蚶、泥蚶和魁蚶3种贝类的ITS1序列进行PCR扩增、测序及分析,并用Mega3.1软件对其进行系统进化分析.毛蚶、泥蚶和魁蚶的ITS1序列长度分别为424、456和431 bp,3种蚶的479个序列位点中,共有330个保守位点,98个变异位点,94个单突变位点.系统进化分析表明,毛蚶和泥蚶先聚为一支,而后与魁蚶聚为一支.ITS1分析结果显示毛蚶和泥蚶种间的遗传关系较近.     

基于18S rDNA的蝗总科分子系统发育关系研究及分类系统探讨

将自测的我国直翅目蝗总科7科7种和从GenBank中下载的17种直翅目昆虫的18S rDNA序列片段进行了同源性比较,用似然比检验的方法对序列比对结果进行了碱基替代模型的选择,以蚱总科的Paratettix cucullatus和蜢总科的Stiphra robusta作外群,用NJ、MP、ML和贝叶斯法构建了分子系统树。在获得的1 849 bp的序列中,有205个变异位点,74个简约信息位点; A、T、C和G的碱基平均含量分别为23.9%、24.3%、23.8%和28.0%,碱基组成基本上无偏异。分子系统树表明：所研究的内群聚为4支,锥头蝗科、瘤锥蝗科、斑腿蝗科、网翅蝗科、槌角蝗科和剑角蝗科都不是单系。建议将蝗总科分为4科,即锥头蝗科、大腹蝗科、癞蝗科和蝗科。     

海参核糖体基因间隔区2(ITS2)的克隆及序列分析

为探讨刺参科海参和海参科海参的系统进化关系,本研究通过PCR技术获取19种刺参科和海参科海参的ITS2序列,从NCBI上获取瓜参(C. salma)的ITS2序列。结果表明ITS2序列具有长度多态性,从318 bp (绿刺参)到591 bp (白尼参属)。海参属的ITS2序列长度多态性高,ITS2的GC含量从56.7%(糙海参)到70.6%(瓜参)。海参ITS2序列保守性不高,仅有48个保守位点,其余均为变异位点。基于ITS2的系统进化树结果显示进化树主要分成两支,一支包括海参科的4个属:海参属、白尼参属、辐肛参属和格皮氏海参属。辐肛参属和格皮氏海参属为姐妹关系,二者聚在一起后与白尼参属聚为一支,随后再与海参属聚在一起。白尼参属和辐肛参属为单系,海参属为复系。另一支为C. salma和刺参科。梅花参属与刺参属聚为一支后,再与仿刺参属聚在一起,3个属都是单系。在20种海参中,S. naso与B. argus的遗传距离最大(6.415)。刺参属中,S. monotuberculatus和S. horrens遗传距离最近(0.012),海参属中,糙海参与H. fuscopunctata的遗传距离最大(3.24)。本研究为从分子水平上研究海参科和刺参科之间的系统进化关系奠定了基础。     

从细胞色素b基因序列变异分析中国鲇形目鱼类的系统发育

采用PCR技术获得中国鲇形目鱼类11科24属27个代表种类细胞色素b基因1138bp全序列,比较分析了来自北美洲、非洲的部分鲇形目鱼类同一基因序列,并选取脂鲤目、鲤形目和鲱形目鱼类作外类群,采用Bayesian方法和最大简约法(MP)构建分子系统树。结果表明：(1)鲇形目鱼类细胞色素b基因序列中,与脂鲤目、鲤形目以及鲱形目鱼类相比存在3bp的缺失;(2)鲇形目鱼类各科代表种类形成一单系群;(3)两种建树方法均支持铫科、粒鲇科和钝头鮠科形成一单系群;而胡子鲇科、刀鲇科、海鲇科、鮰科、长臀鮠科、鲢科、鲇科、棘脂鲿科、鲿科形成一大的单系群;但鳗鲇科的系统位置两种建树方法没有取得一致结果;而其中长臀鲍科与北美的鮰科形成姐妹群,胡子鲇、鮰科、鲇科、鲿科和鮡科是较明显的单系群。     

On bivalve phylogeny: a high-level analysis of the Bivalvia (Mollusca) based on combined morphology and DNA sequence data

Abstract. Bivalve classification has suffered in the past from the crossed-purpose discussions among paleontologists and neontologists, and many have based their proposals on single character systems. More recently, molecular biologists have investigated bivalve relationships by using only gene sequence data, ignoring paleontological and neontological data. In the present study we have compiled morphological and anatomical data with mostly new molecular evidence to provide a more stable and robust phylogenetic estimate for bivalve molluscs. The data here compiled consist of a morphological data set of 183 characters, and a molecular data set from 3 loci: 2 nuclear ribosomal genes (18S rRNA and 28S rRNA), and 1 mitochondrial coding gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I), totaling ∼3 Kb of sequence data for 76 molluscs (62 bivalves and 14 outgroup taxa). The data have been analyzed separately and in combination by using the direct optimization method of Wheeler (1996), and they have been evaluated under 12 analytical schemes. The combined analysis supports the monophyly of bivalves, paraphyly of protobranchiate bivalves, and monophyly of Autolamellibranchiata, Pteriomorphia, Heteroconchia, Palaeoheterodonta, and Heterodonta s.l., which includes the monophyletic taxon Anomalodesmata. These analyses strongly support the conclusion that Anomalodesmata should not receive a class status, and that the heterodont orders Myoida and Veneroida are not monophyletic. Among the most stable results of the analysis are the monophyly of Palaeoheterodonta, grouping the extant trigoniids with the freshwater unionids, and the sister-group relationship of the heterodont families Astartidae and Carditidae, which together constitute the sister taxon to the remaining heterodont bivalves. Internal relationships of the main bivalve groups are discussed on the basis of node support and clade stability.     

A molecular phylogeny of Heterodonta (Bivalvia) based on small ribosomal subunit RNA sequences

Within Heterodonta, phylogenesis has so far been studied almost exclusively on the basis of morphological data. Results have often been discordant, and an exhaustive molecular approach has not yet been attempted. The present study was undertaken to clarify the phylogenetic relationships obtaining among Heterodonta families through the analysis of 18S rRNA gene. To do this, the whole sequence of this gene was analyzed in 29 species of eight superfamilies of the order of Veneroida (Arcticoidea, Cardioidea, Galeommatoidea, Mactroidea, Solenoidea, Tellinoidea, Tridacnoidea, and Veneroidea) and in two superfamilies of Myoida (Pholaloidea and Myoidea). The study was extended by constructing phylogenetic trees using partial sequences. This strategy made it possible to include 11 additional species by introducing three further superfamilies: Chamoidea, Corbiculoidea, and Hiatellinoidea. At variance with the conclusions reached on the basis of morphological features, the molecular data clearly show that the Myoida species included in this study belong to Veneroida, thus undermining the legitimacy of the division of Heterodonta into two orders, and that considerable differences in the phylogenetic relationships obtain among superfamilies.     

What can 18S rDNA do for bivalve phylogeny?

Molecular characteristics, especially 18S rDNA sequences, may be of great value for the study of bivalve evolution and its numerous morphological convergencies once the reliability of these data can be evaluated. The analysis of 11 published complete molluscan sequences and two new ones,Arca noae andAtrina pectinata, reveals considerable differences in relative substitution rates. The gastropod and eulamellibranch species have the fastest and Atrina species have the slowest rates. Two methods are used to assess the information contents of the dataset in addition to bootstrap analysis, spectral analysis, and the “pattern of resolved nodes” technique. Tree reconstructions by parsimony, neighbor-joining, and maximum-likelihood differ in regard to the position of the eulamellibranch family Mactridae and ofCrassostrea. Although there is a signal for the monophyly of Bivalvia, Mactridae cluster with Gastropoda in most runs, rendering Bivalvia diphyletic. The position ofCrassostrea was extremely variable, probably due to the high substitution rate of this species.Atrina roots deeper thanArca in all trees, although a corresponding signal in spectral analysis is absent. Phylogenetic signals among the three pectinid species are low but sufficient to resolve the branching pattern. The tree inferred from the 18S rDNA and from morphological data has Bivalvia monophyletic with a basal polytomy of Mactridae,Crassostrea, and the remaining Pteriomorphia, whereArca branches off before Atrina and the Pectinidae.Argopecten is sister group to the other two pectinids; 18S sequence data will have great impact on our understanding of bivalve phylogeny, but only when more sequences of similar substitution rates are available. Correspondence to: G. Steiner     

Molecular phylogenetics in 2D: ITS2 rRNA evolution and sequence-structure barcode from Veneridae to Bivalvia

In this study, we analyzed the nuclear ITS2 rRNA primary sequence and secondary structure in Veneridae and comparatively with 20 Bivalvia taxa to test the phylogenetic resolution of this marker and its suitability for molecular diagnosis at different taxonomic levels. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian trees based on primary sequences were congruent with (profile-) neighbor-joining trees based on a combined model of sequence-structure evolution. ITS2 showed higher resolution below the subfamily level, providing a phylogenetic signal comparable to (mitochondrial/nuclear) gene fragments 2-5 times longer. Structural elements of the ITS2 folding, such as specific mismatch pairing and compensatory base changes, provided further support for the monophyly of some groups and for their phylogenetic relationships. Veneridae ITS2 folding is structured in six domains (DI-VI) and shows five striking sequence-structure features. Two of them, the Basal and Apical STEMs, are common to Bivalvia, while the presence of both the Branched STEM and the Y/R stretches occurs in five superfamilies of the two Heterodonta orders Myoida and Veneroida, thus questioning their reciprocal monophyly. Our results validated the ITS2 as a suitable marker for venerids phylogenetics and taxonomy, and underlined the significance of including secondary structure information for both applications at several systematic levels within bivalves.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the subclass Pteriomorphia (Bivalvia) from mtDNA COI sequences

Phylogenetic relationships within the subclass Pteriomorphia (Bivalvia) were examined using sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. The resultant Minimum Evolution phylogenetic tree strongly supports the existing superfamily-level classification with all the members of each superfamily forming clades. At the same time, it is suggested that: (1) Ostreoidea shows a closer relationship to Pinnoidea and Pterioidea than to the other superfamilies; (2) Pectinoidea, Anomioidea, and Limoidea form a clade, (3) Arcoidea and Limopsoidea form a clade; (4) The subclass Anomalodesmata is closer to the subclass Heterodonta than to Mytiloidea; and (5) The subclass Pteriomorphia is monophyletic. Taking these results as well as published data for nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) and Myosin analyses into consideration, a new order-level classification system for Pteriomorphia is proposed.     

18S rDNA sequences and the holometabolous insects

The Holometabola (insects with complete metamorphosis: beetles, wasps, flies, fleas, butterflies, lacewings, and others) is a monophyletic group that includes the majority of the world's animal species. Holometabolous orders are well defined by morphological characters, but relationships among orders are unclear. In a search for a region of DNA that will clarify the interordinal relationships we sequenced approximately 1080 nucleotides of the 5' end of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene from representatives of 14 families of insects in the orders Hymenoptera (sawflies and wasps), Neuroptera (lacewing and antlion), Siphonaptera (flea), and Mecoptera (scorpionfly). We aligned the sequences with the published sequences of insects from the orders Coleoptera (beetle) and Diptera (mosquito and Drosophila), and the outgroups aphid, shrimp, and spider. Unlike the other insects examined in this study, the neuropterans have A-T rich insertions or expansion regions: one in the antlion was approximately 260 bp long. The dipteran 18S rDNA evolved rapidly, with over 3 times as many substitutions among the aligned sequences, and 2-3 times more unalignable nucleotides than other Holometabola, in violation of an insect-wide molecular clock. When we excluded the long-branched taxa (Diptera, shrimp, and spider) from the analysis, the most parsimonious (minimum-length) trees placed the beetle basal to other holometabolous orders, and supported a morphologically monophyletic clade including the fleas+scorpionflies (96% bootstrap support). However, most interordinal relationships were not significantly supported when tested by maximum likelihood or bootstrapping and were sensitive to the taxa included in the analysis. The most parsimonious and maximum-likelihood trees both separated the Coleoptera and Neuroptera, but this separation was not statistically significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular phylogeny of Anomalodesmata (Mollusca: Bivalvia) inferred from 18S rRNA sequences

The origin of the anomalodesmatan bivalves and the relationships of the constituent families are far from being settled. Phylogenetic uncertainties result from the morphological heterogeneity of the Anomalodesmata and from parallel/convergent evolution of several character complexes due to similar life habits. Here, we assess these problems with 26 near-complete anomalodesmatan 18S rRNA sequences from 12 out of 15 families and a selection of heteroconch outgroup taxa. The robustly monophyletic Anomalodesmata share insertions in the V2 and V4 expansion regions. Both parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses confirm their position among the basal heterodonts rooting between Carditidae and Lucinidae or, together with the latter, between Carditidae and the remaining Heterodonta. There is no support for monophyletic Myoida, nor for a close relationship of Anomalodesmata with any myoid taxon. At the base of the Anomalodesmata is an unstable cluster of long-branch species belonging to the Poromyidae, Verticordiidae, Lyonsiellidae and Thraciidae. The remaining Anomalodesmata split consistently but with varying branch support into three major clades: the Cuspidariidae excluding Myonera ; a 'thraciid' clade consisting of (Euciroidae, ( Myonera ( Thracia, Cleidothaerus , Myochamidae))); and a 'lyonsiid' clade with Laternulidae, Pandoridae, diphyletic Lyonsiidae due to a robust clade of Lyonsia norwegica and the clavagellid Brechites vaginiferus . Tests of various alternative topologies showed that all are significantly longer but optimal likelihood trees with monophyletic carnivorous taxa and/or Thraciidae are not significantly less likely. These results differ greatly from previous morphological studies. Palaeontological data and homology decisions for selected characters are evaluated in the light of the molecular trees.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 139 , 229–246.     

Coloniality has evolved once in Stolidobranch Ascidians

Ascidians exhibit a rich array of body plans and life history strategies. Colonial species typically consist of zooids embedded in a common test and brood large, fully developed larvae, while solitary species live singly and usually free-spawn eggs that develop into small, undifferentiated larvae. Ascidians in the order Stolidobranchia include both colonial and solitary species, as well as several species with intermediate morphologies. These include social species, which are colonial but do not live completely embedded in a common test, and a few solitary species that brood embryos and larvae until they are competent to metamorphose. We examined how many times coloniality has evolved within the Stolidobranchia, with phylogenetic analyses using full-length 18S rDNA and partial cytochrome oxidase B sequences for taxa in the families Molgulidae, Styelidae, and Pyuridae. Tunicata orders Phlebobranchia and Stolidobranchia are sister groups, and the family Molgulidae is a monophyletic group and should be raised to the subordinal level, as shown previously by analyses from this lab with partial 18S sequences. In contrast to previous studies, styelids and pyurids are separated into monophyletic groups by ML and Bayesian analyses. We show a single clade within the family Styelidae that contains two colonial (compound) botryllid species, a Symplegma (colonial compound), a colonial (social) species Metandrocarpa taylori, as well as four solitary species, thus confirming that the botryllids are a subfamily of the Styelidae. These results suggest that the ancestor of the Stolidobranchia was solitary and that coloniality has evolved only once within this clade of ascidians. Further phylogenetic analyses of aplousobranch and phlebobranch ascidians will be necessary to understand the number of times that coloniality has evolved within the class Ascidiacea.     

基于nad5的西施舌漳州群体遗传分化水平分析——以蛤蜊属2个物种差异水平为参照

扩增了西施舌日照、连云港、北海、漳州4个野生群体、四角蛤蜊和中国蛤蜊各1个群体共73个样本的NAD5基因片段,测序获得了480bp核苷酸序列,分析核苷酸的多态性,旨在评估福建漳州西施舌与日照、连云港、北海西施舌之间的分化水平。结果:从73个序列中共检测到44种单倍型(Hap),其中西施舌4个群体有29种Haps,四角蛤蜊和中国蛤蜊分别有10种和5种Haps,漳州群体与北海、日照、连云港群体单倍型有明显差异;将西施舌分为北海、日照、连云港组(GP1)和漳州组(GP2)2个组,分析核苷酸差异,GP1与GP2间的T、A、G含量差异极显著(P0.01)。GP1与GP2间的遗传距离与组内(GP1、GP2)遗传距离之比为25.1—41.8,四角蛤蜊与中国蛤蜊之间的遗传距离与种内个体间遗传距离之比为24.4—36.7,GP1、GP2间的差异达到了四角蛤蜊和中国蛤蜊种间差异水平,而日照、北海群体间的遗传距离只有0.009,北海与日照群体地理位置虽远,但遗传差异则很小;AMOVA分析显示漳州西施舌发生了极显著遗传分化(FST=0.966—0.978,P0.01)。     

A molecular phylogeny of heterodont bivalves (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Heterodonta): new analyses of 18S and 28S rRNA genes

A new molecular phylogeny is presented for the highly diverse, bivalve molluscan subclass Heterodonta. The study, the most comprehensive for heterodonts to date, used new sequences of 18S and 28S rRNA genes for 103 species from 49 family groups with species of Palaeoheterodonta (Trigoniidae, Margaritiferidae and Unionidae) as outgroups. Results confirm previous analyses that the Carditidae/Astartidae/Crassatellidae clade is basal to all other heterodonts including Anomalodesmata (often classified as a separate subclass or order). Thyasiroidea occupy a near basal position between the Crassatelloidea and Anomalodesmata. Lucinidae form a well‐supported monophyletic group distinct from Thyasiridae and Ungulinidae. The Solenoidea and Hiatelloidea link as sister groups distant from the Tellinoidea and Myoidea, respectively, where they had been previously associated. The position of the Gastrochaenidae is unstable but does not group with myoidean taxa. Species of four families of Galeommatoidea form a clade that also includes Sportellidae of the Cyamioidea. The Cardioidea and Tellinoidea form highly supported, long branched, individual clades but group as sister taxa. A major clade including Veneroidea, Mactroidea, Myoidea and other families is given the unranked name Neoheterodontei. There is no support for a separate order Myoida (Myoidea and Pholadoidea). Dreissenidae group within the clade including Myidae, Corbulidae, Pholadidae and Teredinidae. The Corbiculoidea is confirmed as polyphyletic with the Sphaeriidae and Corbiculidae forming separate clades within the Neoheterodontei; Corbiculidae grouping with the Glauconomidae. Hemidonacidae are unrelated to the Cardiidae, as previously proposed, but nest within the Neoheterodontei. The Gaimardiidae group near to the Ungulinidae and not with Cyamioidea where most recently classified. The family Ungulinidae, previously classified in the Lucinoidea, forms a well‐supported clade within the Neoheterodontei and is elevated to superfamily rank — Ungulinoidea. The monophyletic status of Glossoidea, Arcticoidea and Veneroidea is unconfirmed. A brief review of the fossil record of the heterodonts indicates that the basal clades of Crassatelloidea, Anomalodesmata and Lucinoidea diverged very early in the Lower Palaeozoic. Other groups such as the Hiatelloidea, Solenoidea, Gastrochaenidae probably were of late Palaeozoic origins. The Cardioidea and Tellinoidea originated in the Triassic while major groups of Neoheterodontei radiated in the Late Mesozoic. The phylogenetic position of the Thyasiroidea and Galeommatoidea suggests a longer fossil history than has so far been recognized.