Phylogeny of Marine Clawed Lobster Families Nephropidae Dana, 1852, and Thaumastochelidae Bate, 1888, Based on Mitochondrial Genes

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships of extant marine clawed lobsters of the families Nephropidae and Thau-mastochelidae were analyzed based on partial sequences of the 12S and 16S mitochondrial rRNA genes. The ingroup sample consisted of 17 species and ten genera of the Nephropidae as well as two species and two genera of the Thaumastochelidae. The family Enoplometopidae was used as an outgroup. A. total of 875 base pairs, with 241 parsimony informative sites, was analyzed. Bayesian (MRBAYES) and maximum likelihood (PAUP) analyses produced similar topologies. The ML tree was well supported at most nodes. Generic monophyly was confirmed for all five genera repre-sented by two or more species. Acanthacaris is the least derived among genera included in the analysis. It was resolved as a sister taxon to all other nephropids (including thaumastochelids). The thaumastochelids are monophyletic but nested within Nephropidae; thus, family-level status for thaumastochelids was not supported. Some nephropid genera, previously regarded as close relatives on a morphological basis (e.g., Homarus and Homarinus, or Nephrops and Metanephrops), instead appear to be cases of morphological convergence.