In recent years, scientists have made remarkable progress reconstructing the animal
phylogeny. There is broad agreement regarding many deep animal relationships, including …

The mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of Metazoa is a good model system for evolutionary
genomic studies and the availability of more than 1000 sequences provides an almost …

Molluscs comprise the second largest phylum of animals (after arthropods), occurring in
virtually all habitats. Some are commercially important, a few are pests and some carry …

The position of Xenacoelomorpha in the tree of life remains a major unresolved question in
the study of deep animal relationships. Xenacoelomorpha, comprising Acoela …

To tackle incongruence, the topological conflict between different gene trees, phylogenomic
studies couple concatenation with practices such as rogue taxon removal or the use of …

Long-held ideas regarding the evolutionary relationships among animals have recently
been upended by sometimes controversial hypotheses based largely on insights from …

Abstract Lancelets ('amphioxus') are the modern survivors of an ancient chordate lineage,
with a fossil record dating back to the Cambrian period. Here we describe the structure and …

The evolutionary relationships of two animal phyla, Ctenophora and Xenacoelomorpha,
have proved highly contentious. Ctenophora have been proposed as the most distant …

A clear picture of animal relationships is a prerequisite to understand how the morphological
and ecological diversity of animals evolved over time. Among others, the placement of the …

Acorn worms, also known as enteropneust (literally,'gut-breathing') hemichordates, are
marine invertebrates that share features with echinoderms and chordates. Together, these …