A new molecular phylogeny is presented for the highly diverse, bivalve molluscan subclass Heterodonta. The study, the most comprehensive for heterodonts to date, used new sequences of 18S and 28S rRNA genes for 103 species from 49 family groups with species

Background Taxonomy and phylogeny of subclass Heterodonta including Tellinoidea are long-debated issues and a complete agreement has not been reached yet. Mitochondrial (mt) genomes have been proved to be a powerful tool in resolving phylogenetic relationship.

Background: Taxonomy and phylogeny of subclass Heterodonta including Tellinoidea are long-debated issues and a complete agreement has not been reached yet. Mitochondrial (mt) genomes have been proved to be a powerful tool in resolving phylogenetic relationship.

Donacidae is a commercially important family of heterodont bivalves and one of the few bivalve lineages that has successfully colonised brackish and fresh waters. However, to date, no phylogenetic hypothesis exists for this widely distributed group. Here