Mitogenomics reveals phylogeny and repeated motifs in control regions of the deep-sea family Siboglinidae (Annelida).

Deep-sea tubeworms in the annelid family Siboglinidae have drawn considerable interest regarding their ecology and evolutionary biology. As adults, they lack a digestive tract and rely on endosymbionts for nutrition. Moreover, they are important members of chemosynthetic environments including hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, muddy sediments, and whale bones.

Hard and soft anatomy in two genera of Dondersiidae (Mollusca, Aplacophora, Solenogastres).

Phylogenetic relationships and identifications in the aplacophoran taxon Solenogastres (Neomeniomorpha) are in flux largely because descriptions of hard parts--sclerites, radulae, copulatory spicules--and body shape have often not been adequately illustrated or utilized. With easily recognizable and accessible hard parts, descriptions of Solenogastres are of greater use, not just to solenogaster taxonomists, but also to ecologists, paleontologists, and evolutionary biologists. Phylogenetic studies of Aplacophora, Mollusca, and the Lophotrochozoa as a whole, whether morphological or molecular, would be enhanced.

Phylogenomics reveals deep molluscan relationships.

Evolutionary relationships among the eight major lineages of Mollusca have remained unresolved despite their diversity and importance. Previous investigations of molluscan phylogeny, based primarily on nuclear ribosomal gene sequences or morphological data, have been unsuccessful at elucidating these relationships. Recently, phylogenomic studies using dozens to hundreds of genes have greatly improved our understanding of deep animal relationships.

Molecular phylogeny of the Astrophorida (Porifera, Demospongiae(p)) reveals an unexpected high level of spicule homoplasy.

Background: The Astrophorida (Porifera, Demospongiae(p)) is geographically and bathymetrically widely distributed. Systema Porifera currently includes five families in this order: Ancorinidae, Calthropellidae, Geodiidae, Pachastrellidae and Thrombidae. To date, molecular phylogenetic studies including Astrophorida species are scarce and offer limited sampling.

Ecology of twelve species of Thyasiridae (Mollusca: Bivalvia).

Benthic samples from coastal locations off Southwestern Norway were examined and the specimens of Thyasiridae were identified to species. A multivariate analysis based on 13 parameters was carried out and the environmental preferences of all thyasirid species present were determined. The potential of the Thyasiridae as indicators of organic enrichment was investigated by using direct canonical correspondence analyses to identify correlations between selected environmental parameters and the collected biological data.

Feeding ecology of Coryphaenoides rupestris from the mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The Macrourid fish roundnose grenadier, Coryphaenoides rupestris, is one of the most common benthopelagic fishes on the northern mid-Atlantic Ridge. The ecology of the species is comparatively well studied in continental slope waters of the North Atlantic, but not on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is a central mid-ocean area of its distribution. In total, 166 specimens from the RV G.

Some Haliotrema (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) from cultured grouper (Epinephelus Spp.) with emphasis on the phylogenetic position of Haliotrema cromileptis.

Three Haliotrema spp. are reported from the Vietnamese grouper. Morphological and morphometric characters show minor deviations from original descriptions of H.

A soft-bodied mollusc with radula from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale.

Odontogriphus omalus was originally described as a problematic non-biomineralized lophophorate organism. Here we re-interpret Odontogriphus based on 189 new specimens including numerous exceptionally well preserved individuals from the Burgess Shale collections of the Royal Ontario Museum. This additional material provides compelling evidence that the feeding apparatus in Odontogriphus is a radula of molluscan architecture comprising two primary bipartite tooth rows attached to a radular membrane and showing replacement by posterior addition.

Investigation of molluscan phylogeny using large-subunit and small-subunit nuclear rRNA sequences.

The Mollusca represent one of the most morphologically diverse animal phyla, prompting a variety of hypotheses on relationships between the major lineages within the phylum based upon morphological, developmental, and paleontological data. Analyses of small-ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequence have provided limited resolution of higher-level relationships within the Mollusca. Recent analyses suggest large-subunit (LSU) rRNA gene sequences are useful in resolving deep-level metazoan relationships, particularly when combined with SSU sequence.