MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS OF THYSANOPTERA

Analyses of morphological data on the higher-level phylogenetics of Th ysanoptera have suggested two alternative hypotheses: (1) sister-taxon status of the monophyletic suborders Terebrantia and Tubulifera, and (2) paraphyly of Terebrantia with respect to Tubulifera. Analyses of n ucleotide sequence data from the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I and the nuclear gene 18S rDNA using maximum parsimony, neighbour jo ining, and maximum likelihood provide strong support for the hypothesi s of a sister-taxon relationship between the Terebrantia and Tubulifer a. These data resolve this long-standing controversy in thysanopteran phylogenetics and provide a framework for further studies of higher-le vel relationships in this order.