Total-evidence phylogenetic hypothesis of Hexabothriidae Price, 1942.

Abstract

For the last 3 decades, the most cited phylogenetic hypothesis of the Hexabothriidae is that of Boeger & Kritsky's [1989, International Journal for Parasitology 19, 425-440] and subsequent revisions. This phylogeny was based on morphologic features and excluded two genera due to the lack of available specimens at the time - since then, four additional genera have been proposed. Furthermore, molecular data for specimens of the family were generated subsequently, including sequences from members of Erpocotyle produced in the current study. A phylogenetic hypothesis for the family is proposed using maximum likelihood analyses of available 18S and 28S rDNA sequences obtained from GenBank and produced herein in conjunction with morphological data sensu Boeger & Kritsky, 1989. A thorough literature review was conducted and morphological character states were updated, included in the total-evidence analysis, and discussed. In doing so, we evidenced consistent support for some intrafamily clades and updated the phylogeny by including recently described and previously excluded genera.