Phylogeny of the American silverfish Cubacubaninae (Hexapoda: Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae):: a combined approach using morphology and five molecular loci

Relationships within the subfamily Cubacubaninae, the dominant subfamily of Nicoletiidae in America, are appraised based on parsimony analysis of 20 morphological characters and sequence data from five loci (nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA, mitochondrial 16S rRNA, nuclear protein coding gene histone H3, and mitochondrial protein coding gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I). The data, analyzed under direct optimization for a range of analytical parameter sets, indicated that species may show some biogeographical structure. It also indicated that the presence of articulated submedian appendages on urosternum IV is not a valid discriminating character in taxonomy. Species within the traditional genera Anelpistina, Cubacubana and Neonicoletia were found to belong to a group in which no clear morphological or molecular distinction was present. It is proposed that members of these three genera should be united within a single taxon. On the contrary, the genus Prosthecina is well supported by the data. (c) The Willi Hennig Society 2006.