KAPPNER, I*; BIELER, R; Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago; Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago: Phylogeny of the nominal subfamily Venerinae (Bivalvia: Veneridae) as inferred from morphology and molecules.

Phylogeny and systematics of the diverse, commercially important, and cosmopolitan marine bivalve subfamily Venerinae (Heterodonta: Veneridae) remain poorly understood. The group currently comprises nine extant and four fossil genera with more than 140 nominal extant and fossil species. Recently, other workers synonymized it with another nominal subfamily, Chioninae, but no phylogenetic analyses were presented to support this proposed relationship. Chioninae comprise 34 nominal extant and fossil genera, with an overall shell morphology very similar to that of Venerinae, except for the lack of an anterior lateral tooth in the left shell valve. Our preliminary phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data from mitochondrial gene sequences suggest that Chioninae and Venerinae are indeed discrete taxa. Sponsored by NSF-PEET DEB-9978119.