Molecular phylogeny of Anthomedusae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)

Abstract

The class Hydrozoa is the most speciose among the Medusozoa, and includes the greatest diversity of cnidomes and life cycles among the Cnidaria. Yet, the phylogenetic relationships of hydrozoan groups are still poorly understood, what hinders comparative studies of model organisms (e.g., Hydra) and of the evolution of polypoid and medusoid characters. Estimating the phylogeny of hydrozoan groups is also necessary to propose a classification for the class based on phylogenetic relationships. The goal of this project is to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of one of the most important hydrozoan groups – the order Anthomedusae – using DNA sequences. Sequences of multiple genes will be analyzed together with those gathered in recent studies. Multigene analyses are pivotal to elucidate difficult phylogenetic questions, and are becoming the new paradigm for evolutionary studies with large metazoan groups. (AU)