Meeting Abstract
Flabellina is a large and morphologically diverse genus of aeolid nudibranchs. As a consequence of this diversity, the genus has been difficult to define through morphological study, and historically has repeatedly been subject to revision and redefinition. To date, no molecular phylogeny of the genus has been published. Using the molecular mitochondrial markers 16S and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), and the nuclear markers H3 and 28S, we present a preliminary molecular phylogeny of Flabellina. We discuss how the evolutionary relationships revealed by this phylogeny reflect patterns of morphology and biogeography within the genus, as well as the evidence this study provides for the lack of monophyly within Flabellina and its parent family Flabellinidae.
