LAUSR

Phylogenetic analyses for molluscs frequently make use of the mitochondrial (mt) markers COX1, 12S and 16S, in part because of the availability of universal primers (e.g. Plazzi & Passamonti, 2010; Williams et al., 2010; Aktipis & Giribet, 2011; Plazzi et al., 2011; Wakabayashi et al., 2012). Recent phylogenetic studies have expanded on gene sampling, sequenced entire mt genomes and undertaken phylogenetic analyses using all protein-coding and rRNA genes for determining relationships within Mollusca, generally resulting in well-resolved trees with highly supported nodes (e.g. White et al., 2011; Williams, Foster & Littlewood, 2014; Uribe et al., 2015). However, several papers have pointed out that trees based purely on mtDNA can produce erroneous deep relationships between different molluscan taxa (Stoger & Schrodl, 2013; Bernt et al., 2013a). This is perhaps unsurprising, given that mtDNA generally evolves more quickly than the nuclear genome (Burton & Barreto, 2012), and deeper relationships may therefore be beyond the saturation point of mtDNA. However, with the recent development of next-generation sequencing, entire mt genomes can be sequenced rapidly and relatively cheaply. It is therefore important to determine the utility and reliability of the mt genome as a marker for phylogenetic analysis.