Phylogenetic relationships of Nygolaimina and Dorylaimina (Nematoda: Dorylaimida) inferred from small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences

Phylogenetic reconstructions based on 18S rDNA sequence data indicate that Dorylaimida, comprising the suborders Nygolaimina and Dorylaimina, is a monophyletic lineage, but that there is a deep division within Nygolaimina, giving rise to the possibility that Nygolaimina is paraphyletic. A well-supported clade comprising members of the traditional orders Mermithida and Mononchida (including Bathyodontina) forms the sister taxon to the Dorylaimida. Inferred relationships within this clade indicate that Mermithida shares more recent common ancestry with Mononchina than does Bathyodontina. Vertebrate parasites within Dorylaimia (Dioctophymida and Trichinellida) are reconstructed in a sister-taxon relationship with the Mononchida/Dorylaimida lineage. The enigmatic order Isolaimida (represented by Isolaimium) appears to be ancestral to all other Dorylaimia sampled. Expanded taxon sampling for phylogenetic analyses of the subclass raises new possibilities for the reconstruction of hypothetical character states in the common ancestor of Dorylaimia.