| A new molecular phylogeny of the chemosymbiotic bivalve family Lucinidae is presented. Using sequences from the nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA genes and the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b, 105 specimens were analysed representing 87 separate species classified into 47 genera. Samples were collected from a wide range of habitats including mangroves, seagrass beds, shallow sands, offshore muds, and hydrocarbon seeps at depths ranging from the intertidal to over 2000 m. A chronogram, derived from the combined molecular tree, was calibrated using ten lucinid fossils. The trees show five well-supported clades and two single branches of Fimbria fimbriata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Monitilora ramsayi (Smith, 1885). A new classification of Lucinidae is proposed with seven... |
