ABSTRACT
The phylogenetic relationships for a number of higher ophiuroid taxa have been deduced from both morphological and molecular data. Partial sequences from the 5’ end of the large subunit ribosomal RNA have been used to construct a molecular phylogeny, rooted by comparison with sequences from other echinoderm classes. A morphological data matrix has been constructed using skeletal characteristics and rooted using Palaeozoic (fossil) outgroups. The two data sets provide independent phylogenetic hypotheses that are in good agreement. This cladogram can be calibrated against the fossil record to produce an evolutionary tree, which provides a sound basis for documenting the evolutionary history of ophiuroids.
