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Establishes Sphyrion's placement in Lernaeopodidae, suggesting a new subfamily classification.
The systematic position of the parasitic copepod Sphyrion Cuvier, 1830 has long been debated, being treated either as a distinct family (Sphyriidae) or as related to Lernaeopodidae or Pennellidae. We generated four new mitochondrial COI and two nuclear 28S rDNA sequences for Sphyrion laevigatum from Argentina (two COI and two 28S) and Chile (one COI), and for Sphyrion lumpi from Spain (one COI), providing the first COI data for the genus and the first 28S rDNA sequences for S. laevigatum. Bayesian analyses of 28S rDNA recovered Sphyrion as a distinct lineage within Lernaeopodidae. COI analyses based on broader taxon sampling confirmed the close relationship between S. laevigatum and S. lumpi and placed Sphyrion within Lernaeopodidae, showing divergence values lower than those observed among most lernaeopodid genera. Other taxa formerly assigned to Sphyriidae were resolved as distantly related, indicating that this family is not monophyletic. Male morphology, particularly antennular and antennal structures, supports this placement, whereas mesoparasitic females are interpreted as a convergent adaptation. We therefore transfer Sphyrion to Lernaeopodidae as the subfamily Sphyriinae subfam. nov. and recognize Clavellinae and Clavellisinae as valid subfamilies.Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:81B04227-B366-4544-A9C3-72C132EE3D5A
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Montes et al. (2026) studied this question.
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