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Issue: Vol. 5497 No. 4: 27 Aug. 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-08-27
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5497.4.2
Page range: 496-504
Abstract views: 271
PDF downloaded: 169

The monophyly of Magelona F. Müller, 1858 (Polychaeta, Magelonidae): Comments on Meißner et al.’s (2023) reinstatement of Octomagelona Aguirrezabalaga, Ceberio & Fiege, 2001

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; Los Angeles; CA; USA
Natural Sciences; Amgueddfa Cymru–Museum Wales; Cardiff; Wales; United Kingdom
Departamento de Biologia Animal; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde; Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro; Seropédica; Rio de Janeiro; Brazil
Annelida Nomenclature paraphyly phylogenetic hypotheses specific hypotheses systematics

Abstract

The first published phylogenetic hypotheses involving members of the polychaete taxon Magelonidae Cunningham & Ramage, 1888, were reported by Mortimer et al. (2021), wherein results showed that for the two genera in the family, Magelona F. Müller, 1858, was paraphyletic relative to Octomagelona Aguirrezabalaga, Ceberio & Fiege, 2001. The only option to formally name at least some of the resultant phylogenetic hypotheses was to place Octomagelona into synonymy with Magelona, leaving the definition of Magelonidae redundant with that of a monophyletic Magelona. Meißner et al. (2023) subsequently described specimens as members of new species, Octomagelona borowskii Fiege, Knebelsberger & Meißner, 2023, and O. sp. cf. O. borowskii, with the view that Octomagelona should be maintained as distinct from Magelona. We present reasons why reestablishing the paraphyly of Magelona is scientifically unwarranted.

 

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