Phylogenetic relationships within Oweniidae Rioja (Polychaeta, Annelida)

Abstract

The Oweniidae consist of five genera of tubiculous polychaetes OCCUl"- ring in ali oceans from tropical to polar areas: Owenia Delle Chiaje, 1842, Myriochele Malmgren, 1867, Galarhowenia Kirkegaard, 1959, Myriowenia Hartman, 1960 and Myrioglobula Hartman, 1967. The group is regarded as monophyletic based on lhe presence of dense fields of bidentate neuropodial hooks. Fourteen species were submitted to a c1adistic analysis in PAUP 3. 1.1 with the usage of 19 morphological characters. The taxonomic status of the ingroup taxa could be evaluated and it has been found that: ( I ) Owenia, Myriowenia and Myrioglobula are monophyletic, and (2) Myriochele, and Galalhowenia are both paraphyletic taxa.