A note on the systematic position of the Bathynellacea (Crustacea, Malacostraca) using molecular evidence

Abstract

Molecular data for the mt 16S rDNA gene fragment of a bathynellacean is here presented for the first time and used to analyze the relationship of the group within the crustacean class Malacostraca (Arthropoda, Bathynellacea). Two contrasting views have classified the bathynelids as being either within the order Syncarida or in a separate super-order Podophallocarida belonging to the infra-class Eonomostraca, a disagreement based mainly on debates over external and internal morphology. The preliminary analyses offered here in question the placement of this Bathynellacea within the Syncarida, and suggest the need for a further study of relationships among the malacostracan groups.