Resolving the basal divisions in the stylommatophoran land snails and slugs with special emphasis on the position of the Scolodontidae

Saadi, Ahmed J.; Wade, Christopher M.

Abstract

The deep divisions at the base of the stylommatophoran land snails and slugs have proved to be controversial, with the phylogenetic position of the Scolodontidae remaining unresolved. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of 34 stylommatophoran genera based on a combined dataset (5782 sites) of four loci with the aim of resolving the position of the Scolodontidae and their relationship to the ‘achatinoid’ and ‘non-achatinoid’ clades. We also evaluate the phylogenetic utility of different genes and gene partitions. The deep phylogenetic relationships within the Stylommatophora are now clearly resolved. The Scolodontidae are shown categorically to be the sister group to all other stylommatophoran groups with robust support and with all phylogeny reconstruction methods. The ‘achatinoid’ and ‘non-achatinoid’ clades are also strongly supported in the tree. The original LSU 1-5 fragment used extensively in studies of the Stylommatophora was found to be the most informative gene fragment and works well at resolving relationships at most levels in the Stylommatophora but does not reliably resolve the deep level relationships at the very base of the clade. The concatenated dataset of four genes employed in this study is not only informative at lower levels but also resolves the deep level relationships at the base of the Stylommatophora with robust support.

Citation

Saadi, A. J., & Wade, C. M. (2019). Resolving the basal divisions in the stylommatophoran land snails and slugs with special emphasis on the position of the Scolodontidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 139, Article 106529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106529

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 5, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jun 6, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019-10
• Deposit Date: Jun 14, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 7, 2020
• Journal: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
• Print ISSN: 1055-7903
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-9513
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 139
• Article Number: 106529
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106529
• Keywords: Genetics; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Molecular Biology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2189112
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790319301939
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Resolving the basal divisions in the stylommatophoran land snails and slugs with special emphasis on the position of the Scolodontidae; Journal Title: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106529; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• Contract Date: Jun 14, 2019