Mitogenomics of Vetigastropoda: insights into the evolution of pallial symmetry

The nucleotide sequences of the complete or nearly complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of seven vetigastropods were determined: Angaria neglecta (Angarioidea), Phasianella solida (Phasianelloidea), Granata lyrata (Seguenzioidea), Tegula lividomaculata and Bolma rugosa (Trochoidea), Diodora graeca (Fissurelloidea) and Lepetodrilus schrolli (Lepetodriloidea). While the mt genomes of the superfamilies Angarioidea, Phasianelloidea, Seguenzioidea and Trochoidea conform generally to the ancestral gene order of Vetigastropoda and Gastropoda, those of the superfamilies Fissurelloidea and Lepetodriloidea have suffered important rearrangements. The gene order of the mtDNA of Chrysomallon squamiferum, a representative of Neomphalina, was also analysed since it has been proposed to be closely related to Vetigastropoda, and showed a distinct arrangement. The reconstructed phylogenies recovered Neomphalina as a distinct gastropod lineage that is the sister group (only with moderate bootstrap support) of a clade including Vetigastropoda and Neritimorpha + Caeno‐gastropoda while the relative position of Heterobranchia and Patellogastropoda in the gastropod tree could not be determined definitively due to their long branches. Within the monophyletic Vetigastropoda, the superfamily Fissurelloidea was recovered as the sister group of two lineages, one including Lepetodriloidea as the sister group of Seguenzioidea + Halitoidea, the other including Phasianelloidea, Angarioidea and Trochoidea without resolved relationships. The long branches of Fissurelloidea were found to introduce significant tree instability in phylogenetic reconstruction. The new phylogeny supports that the loss of the right pallial gill occurred multiple times in vetigastropod evolution as previously suggested and that Phasianelloidea, Angarioidea and Trochoidea radiated from a common asymmetric (single‐gilled) ancestor that lived in the middle Palaeozoic.     

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE CTENIDIAL SENSE ORGANS (BURSICLES) OF VETIGASTROPODA (ZEUGOBRANCHIA, TROCHOIDEA) AND THEIR FUNCTIONAL AND PHYLOGENETIC SIGNIFICANCE

The fine-structure of the bursicles of members of all threesubgroups of Vetigastropoda (Fissurelloidea, Pleurotomarioidea,Trochoidea) is described. Specific sensory elements (paddlecilia) suggest a chemo-sensory function of the sense organs.This agrees with earlier physiological results which demonstratedthe role of bursicles in detecting predatory sea-stars. Similarpockets in the (secondary) gill-leaflets of the Pseudococculinidae,are not homologous with the bursicles. The lack of bursiclesin group-B hot-vent limpets and in Neomphalus excludes thesegroups from the Vetigastropoda. The bursicles are regarded asa synapomorphic character of the vetigastropod groups provingtheir evolutionary unity. (Received 13 June 1986;     

基于18S rDNA遗传距离与GC含量对游走类纤毛虫的分子系统学研究

为了揭示游走类纤毛虫的系统发生,对寄生于淡水鱼类的车轮虫科中的6种车轮虫进行了18S rDNA的测序并获得了9个序列。采用了最大似然法(ML)与贝叶斯法(BI)对GenBank中所有游走类纤毛虫的18S rDNA序列进行了系统树的构建,并首次将SPSS与18S rDNA遗传距离结合分析了游走类纤毛虫的系统发生。研究结果进一步证实了车轮虫属(Trichodina)的非单系发生与小车轮虫属 (Trichodinella) 的有效性。此外,研究结合18S rDNA 的GC含量与遗传距离分析提出了游走类纤毛虫科属及种间新的鉴定依据: 18S rDNA 的GC含量可用于游走类纤毛虫的科属区分,且与游走类纤毛虫的分化密切相关; 18S rDNA的遗传距离在游走类纤毛虫的不同阶元中具有一定的阈值范围,即通常种内遗传距离阈值范围为0.000-0.005,属种间阈值范围为0.005-0.150,当遗传距离大于0.150时,则达到了科间水平。     

Another step towards understanding the slit‐limpets (Fissurellidae,Fissurelloidea, Vetigastropoda,Gastropoda): a combined five‐gene molecular phylogeny

Aktipis, S. W., Boehm, E. & Giribet, G. (2010). Another step towards understanding the slit‐limpets (Fissurellidae, Fissurelloidea, Vetigastropoda, Gastropoda): a combined five‐gene molecular phylogeny. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 238–259. Fissurellids, commonly known as slit or keyhole limpets, are limpet‐shaped gastropods that typically possess a hole, slit or notch in their bilaterally symmetrical shells and usually occur on rocky marine substrates. Competing classifications for Fissurellidae have been circumscribed using various morphological characters such as radular, shell and mantle features; two to five different subfamilies have been recognized. Although fissurellid species are frequently included in larger vetigastropod phylogenies, relatively few phylogenetic studies of the group have been performed. This study presents a phylogenetic investigation of the relationships amongst slit‐limpets in the vetigastropod superfamily Fissurelloidea, representing the first molecular phylogeny of this clade. In this study, the monophyly of Fissurelloidea and Fissurellidae varied depending on the analytical method used, but clades compatible with the subfamilies Diodorinae and Fissurellinae were recovered with high bootstrap support in all analyses. Species traditionally classified in Emarginulinae formed two groups identified in this study as Hemitominae (Puncturella, Cranopsis and Hemitoma) and Emarginulinae sensu stricto (Emarginula, Montfortula, Tugali, Scutus and Nannoscutum), but Hemitominae was only monophyletic in the maximum likelihood analysis. The results of this study contradict traditional fissurellid classifications as well as theories about the evolution of key fissurellid shell characters. The placement of Puncturella, Cranopsis and Hemitoma sister to all remaining fissurellids suggests that the presence of an anteriorly placed foramen or notch is plesiomorphic, and that an anterior notch or slit evolved multiple times in Fissurellidae.     

The phylogenetic potential of entire 26S rDNA sequences in plants

18S ribosomal RNA genes are the most widely used nuclear sequences for phylogeny reconstruction at higher taxonomic levels in plants. However, due to a conservative rate of evolution, 18S rDNA alone sometimes provides too few phylogenetically informative characters to resolve relationships adequately. Previous studies using partial sequences have suggested the potential of 26S or large-subunit (LSU) rDNA for phylogeny retrieval at taxonomic levels comparable to those investigated with 18S rDNA. Here we explore the patterns of molecular evolution of entire 26S rDNA sequences and their impact on phylogeny retrieval. We present a protocol for PCR amplification and sequencing of entire (approximately 3.4 kb) 26S rDNA sequences as single amplicons, as well as primers that can be used for amplification and sequencing. These primers proved useful in angiosperms and Gnetales and likely have broader applicability. With these protocols and primers, entire 26S rDNA sequences were generated for a diverse array of 15 seed plants, including basal eudicots, monocots, and higher eudicots, plus two representatives of Gnetales. Comparisons of sequence dissimilarity indicate that expansion segments (or divergence domains) evolve 6.4 to 10.2 times as fast as conserved core regions of 26S rDNA sequences in plants. Additional comparisons indicate that 26S rDNA evolves 1.6 to 2.2 times as fast as and provides 3.3 times as many phylogenetically informative characters as 18S rDNA; compared to the chloroplast gene rbcL, 26S rDNA evolves at 0.44 to 1.0 times its rate and provides 2.0 times as many phylogenetically informative characters. Expansion segment sequences analyzed here evolve 1.2 to 3.0 times faster than rbcL, providing 1.5 times the number of informative characters. Plant expansion segments have a pattern of evolution distinct from that found in animals, exhibiting less cryptic sequence simplicity, a lower frequency of insertion and deletion, and greater phylogenetic potential.      

18S ribosomal DNA sequences provide insight into the phylogeny of patellogastropod limpets (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

To investigate the phylogeny of Patellogastropoda, the complete 18S rDNA sequences of nine patellogastropod limpets Cymbula canescens (Gmelin, 1791), Helcion dunkeri (Krauss, 1848), Patella rustica Linnaeus, 1758, Cellana toreuma (Reeve, 1855), Cellana nigrolineata (Reeve, 1854), Nacella magellanica Gmelin, 1791, Nipponacmea concinna (Lischke, 1870), Niveotectura pallida (Gould, 1859), and Lottia dorsuosa Gould, 1859 were determined. These sequences were then analyzed along with the published 18S rDNA sequences of 35 gastropods, one bivalve, and one chiton species. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. The results of our 18S rDNA sequence analysis strongly support the monophyly of Patellogastropoda and the existence of three subgroups. Of these, two subgroups, the Patelloidea and Acmaeoidea, are closely related, with branching patterns that can be summarized as [(Cymbula + Helcion) + Patella] and [(Nipponacmea + Lottia) + Niveotectura]. The remaining subgroup, Nacelloidea, emerges as basal and paraphyletic, while its genus Cellana is monophyletic. Our analysis also indicates that the Patellogastropoda have a sister relationship with the order Cocculiniformia within the Gastropoda.     

The phylogeny of land plants inferred from 18S rDNA sequences: pushing the limits of rDNA signal?

Previous studies of the phylogeny of land plants based on analysis of 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences have generally found weak support for the relationships recovered and at least some obviously spurious relationships, resulting in equivocal inferences of land plant phylogeny. We hypothesized that greater sampling of both characters and taxa would improve inferences of land plant phylogeny based on 18S rDNA sequences. We therefore conducted a phylogenetic analysis of complete (or nearly complete) 18S rDNA sequences for 93 species of land plants and 7 green algal relatives. Parsimony analyses with equal weighting of characters and characters state changes and parsimony analyses weighting (1) stem bases half as much as loop bases and (2) transitions half as much as transversions did not produce substantially different topologies. Although the general structure of the shortest trees is consistent with most hypotheses of land plant phylogeny, several relationships, particularly among major groups of land plants, appear spurious. Increased character and taxon sampling did not substantially improve the performance of 18S rDNA in phylogenetic analyses of land plants, nor did analyses designed to accommodate variation in evolutionary rates among sites. The rate and pattern of 18S rDNA evolution across land plants may limit the usefulness of this gene for phylogeny reconstruction at deep levels of plant phylogeny. We conclude that the mosaic structure of 18S rDNA, consisting of highly conserved and highly variable regions, may contain historical signal at two levels. Rapidly evolving regions are informative for relatively recent divergences (e.g., within angiosperms, seed plants, and ferns), but homoplasy at these sites makes it difficult to resolve relationships among these groups. At deeper levels, changes in the highly conserved regions of small-subunit rDNAs provide signal across all of life. Because constraints imposed by the secondary structure of the rRNA may affect the phylogenetic information content of 18S rDNA, we suggest that 18S rDNA sequences be combined with other data and that methods of analysis be employed to accommodate these differences in evolutionary patterns, particularly across deep divergences in the tree of life.     

Multiple origins of anural development in ascidians inferred from rDNA sequences

Ascidians exhibit two different modes of development. A tadpole larva is formed during urodele development, whereas the larval phase is modified or absent during anural development. Anural development is restricted to a small number of species in one or possibly two ascidian families and is probably derived from ancestors with urodele development. Anural and urodele ascidians constitute a model system in which to study the evolution of development, but the phylogeny of anural development has not been resolved. Classification based on larval characters suggests that anural species are monophyletic, whereas classification according to adult morphology suggests they are polyphyletic. In the present study, we have inferred the origin of anural development using rDNA sequences. The central region of 18S rDNA and the hypervariable D2 loop of 28S rDNA were amplified from the genomic DNA of anural and urodele ascidian species by the polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. Phylogenetic trees inferred from 18S rDNA sequences of 21 species placed anural developers into two discrete groups corresponding to the Styelidae and Molgulidae, suggesting that anural development evolved independently in these families. Furthermore, the 18S rDNA trees inferred at least four independent origins of anural development in the family Molgulidae. Phylogenetic trees inferred from the D2 loop sequences of 13 molgulid species confirmed the 18S rDNA phylogeny. Anural development appears to have evolved rapidly because some anural species are placed as closely related sister groups to urodele species. The phylogeny inferred from rDNA sequences is consistent with molgulid systematics according to adult morphology and supports the polyphyletic origin of anural development in ascidians. Correspondence to: W.R. Jeffery     

Gastropod evolutionary rates and phylogenetic relationships assessed using partial 28S rDNA and histone H3 sequences

Sequence data for two segments of 28S and Histone H3 from 36 gastropod taxa, a chiton, two bivalves and Nautilus are used to test recently published morphology‐based phylogenetic hypotheses of gastropod relationships. Statistical results suggest that the accuracy of the available hypotheses could be improved. The data support the monophyly of the Patellogastropoda (true limpets), Euthyneura and the ‘higher’ vetigastropods and the polyphyly of the ‘Cocculiniformia’. The division of the gastropods into two major clades (Eogastropoda and Orthogastropoda) as has been proposed on morphological grounds is not supported, and neither the Caenogastropoda nor Heterobranchia is well supported. Within the Euthyneura, opisthobranchs are paraphyletic with respect to the pulmonates. The hot vent taxon, Depressigyra, groups with the lower vetigastropod Pleurotomaria in some analyses. Much of the variability in the 28S rDNA segments lies in discrete areas of the sequence. Forone of the segments, corresponding to positions 691–942 of the mosquito Aedes albopictus 28S sequence, the variable regions represent known expansion regions (D4 and D5). For the other segment, corresponding to positions 2259–2538 of the A. albopictus sequence, the variable area, which is found in the patellogastropods, vetigastropods and Nautilus, represents an unreported expansion region. The data show marked variability in the rate of evolution in both segments of the 28S rDNA, whether or not the expansion regions are included. The variability is largely clade specific. Rates are high in the patellogastropods, vetigastropods, the lower heterobranch ‘Heterostropha’ (Cornirostra and Philippea), Depressigyra and the deep sea cocculinid limpet Coccopigya and substantially lower in other taxa. Rate variation in the histone H3 data is less extreme. The correlation between evolutionary rates in the two 28S rDNA segments is very high, andis also significant for the the pairing of each of the 28S rDNA segments with H3. The rate variability may be due to differential selection but no causative factor has been identified. The histone H3 data have high codon usage bias. For all amino acids encoded by multiple codons, at least some triplets occur at a frequency of less than a quarter of their expected usage. For all three‐, four‐and sixfold degenerate amino acids, the most abundant triplet occurs at least twice as frequently as expected. Despite the usage bias, there is a large amount of apparent homoplasy in synonymous alternatives at both the first and third codon positions.     

rRNA及MaSp1基因证据不支持圆网蛛类(蜘蛛目:妖面蛛总科+园蛛总科)的单系起源

圆网蛛类(妖面蛛总科 园蛛总科)是否为单系,圆网究竟经历一次进化还是多次进化,这是多年来有争论的、悬而未决的蛛形学难题之一。本文测定了包括妖面蛛总科、园蛛总科和非圆网蛛类等类群在内的9科10种蜘蛛线粒体12S rDNA、16S rDNA及核18S rDNA、28S rDNA等4个基因片段序列,并基于4个基因序列的整合数据,分别通过邻接(NJ)法、最大简约(MP)法、最大似然(ML)法和贝叶斯法(Bayesian)分析,对园蛛总科和妖面蛛总科蜘蛛之间的分子系统关系进行了探讨。系统发生结果表明:1)园蛛总科和妖面蛛总科蜘蛛不是姊妹群,从而支持这两个类群的圆网是平行演化而非同源演化的观点;2)筛器类蜘蛛并非单系发生而为多系发生。另外,依据编码大壶状腺丝蛋白-1(MaSp1)C末端非重复氨基酸序列区段的核酸序列重建的系统发生树也证实圆网蛛类并非单系发生。     

河南省西峡恐龙蛋化石DNA序列数据的再分析

利用ＩＮＴＥＲＮＥＴ网络上ＢＬＡＳＴ服务器和ＦＡＳＴＡ服务器程序对文献中发表的西峡县恐龙蛋化石的ＤＮＡ序列数据进行了序列数据库的类似性检索和分子系统学分析,证实克隆ＤＡ１８Ｓｌ和ＤＡ１８Ｓ７分别属于真菌和植物１８ＳｒＤＮＡ。文中还就在分子序列水平上对古ＤＮＡ的甄别与鉴定进行了讨论。     

Comparative physical mapping of the 18S-5.8S-26S rDNA in three sorghum species.

The physical locations of the 18S-5.8S-26S rDNA sequences were examined in three sorghum species by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using biotin-labeled heterologous 18S-5.8S-26S rDNA probe (pTa71). Each 18S-5.8S-26S rDNA locus occurred at two sites on the chromosomes in Sorghum bicolor (2n = 20) and S. versicolor (2n = 10), but at four sites on the chromosomes of S. halepense (2n = 40) and the tetraploid S. versicolor (2n = 20). Positions of the rDNA loci varied from the interstitial to terminal position among the four accessions of the three sorghum species. The rDNA data are useful for investigation of chromosome evolution and phylogeny. This study excluded S. versicolor as the possible progenitor of S. bicolor.     

Phylogeny of the Platyhelminthes and the evolution of parasitism

Robust phylogenies provide the basis for interpreting biological variation in the light of evolution. Homologous features provide phylogenetically informative characters whereas homoplasious characters provide phylogenetic noise. Both provide evolutionary signal. We have constructed molecular and morphologically based phylogenies of the phylum Platyhelminthes using a recently revised morphological character matrix and complete 18S and two partial 28S rRNA gene sequences in order to evaluate the emergence and subsequent divergence of parasitic forms. In total we examine 65 morphological characters, 97 18S rDNA, 41 Dl domain 28S rDNA, and 49 D3-D6 domain 28S rDNA sequences. For the molecular data there were 748, 132 and 249 phylogenetically informative sites for the 18S, Dl and D3-D6 28S rDNA data sets respectively. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic solutions are incongruent but not incompatible, and using the principles of conditional combination (18S rDNA + morphology passing Templeton's test) they demonstrate: a single and relatively early origin for the parasitic Neodermata (including the cestodes, trematodes and monogeneans); sister-group status between the cestodes and monogeneans, and between these taxa and the trematodes (digeneans and aspidogastreans). The sister-group to the Neodermata is likely to be a large clade of neoophoran turbellarians, based on combined evidence, or a clade consisting of the Fecampiid + Urastomid turbellarians, based on morphological evidence alone. The combined evidence solution for the phylogeny of fiatworms based on 18S rDNA and morphology is used to interpret morphological and life-history data and to support a model for the evolution and radiation of neodermatan parasites in the group.     

Initial results on the molecular phylogeny of the Nudibranchia (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia) based on 18S rDNA data

This study investigated nudibranch phylogeny on the basis of 18S rDNA sequence data. 18S rDNA sequence data of 19 taxa representing the major living orders and families of the Nudibranchia were analyzed. Representatives of the Cephalaspidea, Anaspidea, Gymnomorpha, Prosobranchia, and Pulmonata were also sequenced and used as outgroups. An additional 28 gastropod sequences taken from GenBank were also included in our analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of these more than 50 gastropod taxa provide strong evidence for support of the monophyly of the Nudibranchia. The monophyly of the Doridoidea, Cladobranchia, and Aeolidoidea within the Nudibranchia are also strongly supported. Phylogenetic utility and information content of the 18S rDNA sequences for Nudibranchia, and Opisthobranchia in general, are examined using the program SplitsTree as well as phylogenetic reconstructions using distance and parsimony approaches. 0Results based on these molecular data are compared with hypotheses about nudibranch phylogeny inferred from morphological data.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of ant subfamily relationship inferred from rDNA sequences

The relationships among ant subfamilies were studied by phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequences of 15 species from seven subfamilies. PCR primers were designed on the basis of the rDNA sequence of the Australian bulldog ant, Myrmecia croslandi, previously determined. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using sequences of a fragment of 18S rDNA (1.8 kb), a fragment of 28S rDNA (0.7 kb excluding variable regions) and a combination of the 18S and 28S rDNAs, by neighbor-joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML). rDNA sequences corresponding to the same fragments from three non-ant hymenopteran species (a sawfly, a bee and a wasp) were employed as outgroups. These trees indicated that the ant subfamilies were clustered singly, and, among the seven subfamilies examined, Ponerinae and six other subfamilies are in a sister-groups relationship. The relationship among the six subfamilies, however, was not clarified. The phylogenetic trees constructed in the present study are not in contradiction to the tree from cladistic analysis of morphological data by Baroni Urbani et al. (1992) and the tree from morphological and molecular data (Ward and Brady, 2003), but are inconsistent with the traditional phylogeny. The present results thus raise a question as to the status of some traditionally employed "key" morphological characters. The present results also call for a reexamination of Amblyopone traditionally treated as a member of Ponerinae as belonging to a new subfamily.     

Performance of 18S rDNA helix E23 for phylogenetic relationships within and between the Rotifera-Acanthocephala clades

The species diversity of the phylum Rotifera has been largely studied on the basis of morphological characters. However, cladistic relationships within this group are poorly resolved due to extensive homoplasy in morphological traits, substantial phenotypic plasticity and a poor fossil record. We undertook this study to determine if a phylogeny based on partial 18S rDNA, which included the helix E23 of 18S rDNA sequence, was concordant with established taxonomic relationships within the order Ploimida (class: Monogononta). We also estimated the level of polymorphism within clones and populations of Ploimida 'species'. Finally, we included the Cycliophora Symbion pandora as outgroup and the variable helix E23 region to examine the influence of their signal on the evolutionary relationships among Acanthocephala, Bdelloidea and Ploimida. Phylogenetic reconstruction was performed using maximum parsimony, neighbour joining and maximum likelihood methods. We found 1) that morphologically similar Ploimida 'species' show vastly different 18S E23 rDNA sequences; 2) inclusion of the helix E23 of 18S rDNA and its secondary structure analysis results in better resolution of family level relationships within the Ploimida; 3) an impact of Symbion pandora as an outgroup with inclusion of the helix E23 on the relationships between the Rotifera and the Acanthocephala; and 4) partial incongruence and differential substitution rate between conserved region and helix E23 region of the 18S rDNA gene depending on the taxomic group studied.     

棉铃虫18S核糖体RNA基因的序列分析及其分子系统学

克隆并分析了鳞翅目棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner)18S核糖体RNA基因(18S rDNA)的全序列,将该序列与鞘翅目、膜翅目、同翅目、双翅目、捻翅目和弹尾目各一种昆虫的同源保守区进行了比较。序列分析结果显示：鳞翅目和双翅目昆虫在18S rDNA结构上彼此较为相似,捻翅目昆虫的18S rDNA分子结构表现出与其它目昆虫有较大的差异,但相对与弹尾目昆虫的18S rDNA较为接近。该结果支持了有关捻翅目属于一个独立的目级分类阶元的论点。     

5 The origin of the dinoflagellate plastid

The Dasycladales is an ancient order of tropical benthic marine green algae, unique in their radially arranged unicellular thalli and well-preserved fossil record due to extensive calcification of the thallus. The inference of an accurate phylogeny for the Dasycladales is important in order to better understand stratigraphy, character evolution, and classification. Previous analyses ( rbc L and 18S rDNA) suggested that the Family Acetabulariaceae is monophyletic, but that the Family Dasycladaceae is a basal paraphyletic assemblage. However, the two data sets disagreed regarding genus- and species-level relationships within the Dasycladales. For example, the placement of the genera, Halicoryne , Bornetella and Cymopolia were incongruent. Given the conflicting results of these previous analyses, the current project examined a third highly conserved nuclear-encoded gene, 26S rDNA. Aligned 26S rDNA sequences were analyzed with parsimony and model-based methods and compared to previous results based on18S and rbc L sequences. Family-level relationships based on 26S rDNA were congruent with previous studies: the Acetabulariaceae is monophyletic while the Dasycladaceae is paraphyletic. In addition, acetabulariacean genera are not monophyletic, suggesting that the presence of a corona inferior or calcification of gametes may not be appropriate to define genera. Within the Dasycladaceae, the basal position of Cymopolia is supported by 26S rDNA, a result congruent with rbcL and stratigraphy but not with 18S data. These results will be discussed in the context of morphological character evolution, fossil stratigraphy and family, tribal and generic relationships among these living algal fossils. Supported in part by NSF grant DEB-0128977 to FWZ.     

NEOGASTROPOD PHYLOGENY: A MOLECULAR PERSPECTIVE

The origin and evolution of the gastropod order Neogastropodawas investigated using an iterative, two gene (18S rDNA andcytochrome c oxidase I) approach to phylogeny reconstruction.Partial sequences spanning approximately 450 base pairs nearthe 5' end of the 18S rDNA gene confirmed the monophyly of Apogastropodaand its two subclades, the Caenogastropoda (including Neogastropodaand Architaenioglossa) and the Heterobranchia, but were incapableof resolving relationships among neogastropod families, or betweenNeogastropoda and higher Caenogastropoda. The monophyly of Heterobranchiais additionally supported by the presence within this groupof a large insert of variable length in the 18S rDNA gene inthe region corresponding to the E-10–1 helix of the RNAmolecule. Cytochrome c oxidase I sequences were able to resolvefully the relationships among representatives of ten familiesof Neogastropoda. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood andneighbor-joining analyses of these data all revealed that Buccinoideaand Muricoidea [sensu Thiele, 1929] each represent a clade,while the families assigned by Thiele and some subsequent authorsto the superfamily Volutoidea comprise a grade. Although thetwo toxoglossan taxa included in our study emerged as a graderather than a clade, denser taxonomic sampling of this groupwill be undertaken to investigate further the paraphyly of Conoidea.Based on percent transversions at third codon positions of theCO I gene, differences among neogastropod families as well asthose between the neogastropod families and Cerithium are comparableto genetic differences between orders of mammals, but are onlyslightly greater than differences between genera of penaeidshrimp.     

A molecular phylogeny of two extinct sloths

Xenarthra (Edentata) is an extremely diverse mammalian order whose modern representatives are the armadillos, anteaters, and sloths. The phylogeny of these groups is poorly resolved. This is particularly true for the sloths (phyllophagans), originally a large and diverse group now reduced to two genera in two different families. Both morphological analyses and molecular analyses of rDNA genes of living and extinct sloths have been used with limited success to elucidate their phylogeny. In an attempt to clarify relationships among the sloths, DNA was extracted and mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequences were determined from representatives of two extinct groups of sloths (Mylodontidae and Megatheriidae), their two living relatives (two-toed sloths [Megalonychidae], three-toed sloths [Bradypodidae]), anteaters and armadillos. A consistent feature of the latter two species was the nuclear copies of cytochrome b gene sequences. Several methods of phylogenetic reconstruction were applied to the sequences determined, and the results were compared with 12S rDNA sequences obtained in previous studies. The cytochrome b gene exhibited a phylogenetic resolving power similar to that of the 12S rDNA sequences. When both data sets were combined, they tended to support the grouping of two-toed sloths with mylodontids and three-toed sloths with megatheriids. The results strengthen the view that the two families of living sloths adapted independently to an arboreal life-style.