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Phylogenetic Analyses Support Validity of Genus Eodinium (Ciliophora, Entodiniomorphida, Ophryoscolecidae)
Author(s) -
Cedrola Franciane,
Senra Marcus Vinicius Xavier,
D'Agosto Marta,
Dias Roberto Júnio Pedroso
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of eukaryotic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 1066-5234
DOI - 10.1111/jeu.12355
Subject(s) - biology , phylogenetic tree , phylogenetics , evolutionary biology , taxonomy (biology) , genus , divergence (linguistics) , zoology , genetics , gene , linguistics , philosophy
The validity of genus Eodinium has been historically disputed due to morphological similarities with Diplodinium (absence of skeletal plates as well as adoral and dorsal ciliary zones at the same body level). To address this issue, the 18S rDNA of four Eodinium posterovesiculatum morphotypes and four Diplodinium anisacanthum morphotypes were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. The different inference methods suggest the existence of a last common ancestor of Eodinium and Ostracodinium that is not shared with Diplodinium , strongly supporting the validity of genus Eodinium . Since skeletal plates are present in all members of genus Ostracodinium , the most parsimonious is a secondary loss of skeletal plates in E. posterovesiculatum . This work represents a breakthrough in the taxonomy and phylogeny of the family Ophryoscolecidae indicating that the skeletal plates may not reflect evolutionary divergence within this group of ciliates as traditionally proposed.