Nuclear 18S rDNA As A Species-Level Molecular Marker for Leucothoidae (Amphipoda)

Abstract

Leucothoid amphipods were investigated using nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA sequences. Analysis of sequences from eight species in two genera supported the current morphological species designations and the separation of the family into two clades. Additionally, an anamorph-leucomorph connection has been confirmed with molecular sequence data that demonstrated both morphologies conclusively belonged to the same species, Anamixis vanga Thomas, 1997. Analyses suggest that morphology is reflecting the genetic evolutionary history of the family. Levels of sequence divergence are compared for 18S rDNA and COI mitochondrial DNA in Leucothoidae.