Premium
Molecular phylogeny of G eoplaninae ( P latyhelminthes) challenges current classification: proposal of taxonomic actions
Author(s) -
Carbayo Fernando,
ÁlvarezPresas Marta,
Olivares Cláudia T.,
Marques Fernando P. L.,
Froehlich Eudóxia M.,
Riutort Marta
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
zoologica scripta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.204
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1463-6409
pISSN - 0300-3256
DOI - 10.1111/zsc.12019
Subject(s) - biology , phylogenetic tree , subgenus , systematics , phylogenetics , sensu , maximum parsimony , taxon , phylogenetic nomenclature , subfamily , zoology , evolutionary biology , clade , taxonomy (biology) , molecular phylogenetics , genus , botany , genetics , gene
Despite likely being the most diverse group within the T ricladida, the systematics of land planarians ( G eoplanidae) has received minor attention. The most species‐rich ingroup, the subfamily G eoplaninae, is restricted to the N eotropics. The systematics of G eoplaninae remains uncertain. Unique features supporting the genera are scanty; moreover, parts of the known species have been poorly described, making comparative studies difficult. Likewise the evolutionary relationships among land planarians remain insufficiently understood. In the present study, a phylogenetic hypothesis for selected taxa of G eoplaninae based on the molecular data is presented and discussed in the light of morphological features. Our phylogenetic inference is based on the fragments of three nuclear regions (18 S , 28 S rDNA and EF ‐1α) and a mitochondrial marker (cytochrome oxidase I ) for which we considered three optimality criteria (parsimony, maximum likelihood and B ayesian inference). Although our data provide little support for most basal nodes, our phylogenetic trees show a number of well‐supported clades, unveiling morphologically homogeneous groups. According to these results, we propose to separate G eoplana into B arreirana (formerly considered a subgenus), C ratera gen. n., I mbira gen. n., M atuxia gen. n., O bama gen. n. and P araba gen. n., emend the diagnoses of B arreirana , G eoplana , N otogynaphallia , P asipha and X erapoa and review the classification of the species within these genera. For G eoplana goetschi sensu M arcus, (1951), a new name is proposed.