ABSTRACT
Classification of the Class Echinoidea is under significant revision in light of emerging molecular phylogenetic evidence. In particular, the sister-group relationships within the superorder Luminacea (Echinoidea: Irregularia) have been considerably updated. However, the placement of many families remains largely unresolved due to a series of incongruent evidence obtained from morphological, paleontological, and genetic data for the majority of extant representatives. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships of 25 taxa, belonging to eleven luminacean families. We proposed three new superfamilies: Astriclypeoidea, Mellitoidea, and Taiwanasteroidea (including Dendrasteridae, Taiwanasteridae, Scutellidae, and Echinarachniidae), instead of the currently recognized superfamily Scutelloidea Gray, 1825. In light of the new data obtained from ten additional species, the historical biogeography reconstructed shows that the tropical western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans are the cradle for early sand dollar diversification. Hothouse conditions during the late Cretaceous and early Paleogene were coupled with diversification events of major clades of sand dollars. We also demonstrate that Taiwan fauna can play a key role in terms of understanding the major Cenozoic migration and dispersal events in the evolutionary history of Luminacea.
Subject(s)
Phylogeny , Sea Urchins/genetics , Animals , Oceans and Seas , CalibrationABSTRACT
Lithobius (Monotarsobius) meifengensis sp. n. occurring at Mei-Feng Farm, Highland Experimental Farm of National Taiwan University, Nantou, Taiwan, is characterised by a male secondary sexual character on leg 15, a very large ventral swelling occupying almost 50% of the ventral surface of the femur; the gently curved apical region bearing approximately 20 short setae and numerous very small pores of flexo-canal epidermal glands. This male secondary sexual character is described for the first time in the genus Lithobius.
