Phylogeny of Labidodemas and the Holothuriidae (Holothuroidea: (Aspidochirotida) as inferred from morphology
Samyn, Y.; Appeltans, W.; Kerr, A.M. (2003). Phylogeny of Labidodemas and the Holothuriidae (Holothuroidea: (Aspidochirotida) as inferred from morphology, in: Samyn, Y. Towards an understanding of the shallow-water holothuroid fauna (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of the western Indian Ocean. pp. 138-156
In: Samyn, Y. (2003). Towards an understanding of the shallow-water holothuroid fauna (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of the western Indian Ocean. PhD Thesis. Vrije Universiteit Brussel: Brussel. III, 384 + 1 cd-rom pp., more
The Holothuriidae is one of the three established families within the large holothuroid order Aspidochirotida. The approximately 185 recognized species of this family are commonly classified in five nominal genera, Actinopyga, Bohadschia, Holothuria, Pearsonothuria and Labidodemas. Maximum parsimony analyses on morphological characters, as inferred from type and non-type material of the five genera, revealed that Labidodemas comprises highly derived species that arose from within the genus Holothuria. The paraphyletic status of the latter, large (148 assumed valid species) and morphologically diverse genus has recently been recognized and is here confirmed and discussed. Nevertheless, we adopt a Darwinian or eclectic classification for Labidodemas which we retain at generic level within the Holothuriidae. Further, by comparing our phylogeny of the Holothuriidae with past and present classifications of its genera and subgenera we make suggestions concerning possible taxonomic changes.
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