Vol. 44 No. 1, 2005

Phylogenetic Position of Eptatretus chinensis (Myxinidae: Myxiniformes) Inferred by 16S rRNA Gene Sequence and Morphology

Ya-Wen Chen¹, Hsueh-Wen Chang², and Hin-Kiu Mok^1,*

¹Institute of Marine Biology, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 804
²Institute of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 804

Ya-Wen Chen, Hsueh-Wen Chang, and Hin-Kiu Mok (2005) Analysis of the present dataset indicated variations in external and internal taxonomic morphological characters of Eptatretus chinensis occurring in the South China Sea. Molecular evidence from its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated a close relation of E. chinensis with Paramyxine sheni and other species of Paramyxine with crowded gill apertures. This species is similar to E. burgeri and P. sheni in the lack of some slime pores in the branchial region. On the other hand, it shares branching of the ventral aorta close to the heart (a derived character state for the Eptatretinae) with some other congeners (but not E. burgeri) and P. sheni.

Key words: Myxinidae, Eptatretus chinensis, Morphology, 16S rRNA, Phylogeny.

*Correspondence: E-mail: hinkiu@mail.nsysu.edu.tw