Generic interrelationships within the Spionidae (Annelida: Polychaeta)

Abstract

The phylogenetic relationships of spionid genera are estimated from parsimony analyses of morphological characters, with Trochochaetidae, Poecilochaetidae and Uncispionidae as outgroups. A first analysis of currently recognised genera proved inconclusive and even exclusion of six of the most polymorphic genera resulted in 13 305 equally parsimonious trees and a fully collapsed consensus tree. A second analysis using only the type species of each genus, yielded four equally parsimonious trees; reduced to two after successive weighting. The topologies of these two trees indicated division of the family into four main groups: (1)AonidellaandXandaros; (2)Prionospio(sensu lato)-complex,Laonice,SpiophanesandAonides; (3) a large assemblage of genera, includingPolydora-(sensu lato),Scolelepis,MalacocerosandSpio; (4)Atherospio,PseudatherospioandPygospiopsis. Earlier literature classifications of the group are evaluated and compared with the new results.