The phylogenetic position of Siboglinidae (Annelida) inferred from 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and morphological data

Abstract

We assess the phylogenetic position of Siboglinidae (previously known as the phyla Pogonophora and Vestimentifera, but now referred to Annelida) in parsimony analyses of 1100 bp from 18S rRNA, 320 bp from the D1 region of 28S rRNA, and 107 morphological characters, totaling 667 parsimony informative characters. The 34 terminal taxa, apart from six siboglinids, include polychaete members of Sabellida, Terbelliformia, Cirratuliformia and Spionida, plus two Aciculata polychaetes as outgroups. Our results contradict most recent hypotheses in showing a sistergroup relationship between Siboglinidae and Oweniidae, and in that the latter taxon is not a member of Sabellida. Furthermore, our results indicate that Sabellariidae is not closely related to Sabellida, that Serpulidae may be nested within Sabellidae, and that Alvinellidae is nested within Ampharetidae.