Cappola, V.A.; Fautin, D.G.*: The status of Corallimorpharia (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) based on molecular data from mitochrondrial 16S rDNA and nuclear 28S rDNA

Corallimorpharia is an order of Anthozoa (phylum Cnidaria) that is currently considered equivalent in rank to Scleractinia (hard corals) and Actiniaria (sea anemones). Rather than being an independent order, Corallimorpharia has been hypothesized to be part of Scleractinia or Actiniaria. Morphological evidence supports corallimorpharians as more closely related to scleractinians. Published sequence data for mitochondrial 16S rDNA and nuclear 18S rDNA support the position of corallimorpharians within the scleractinian clade, but data from nuclear 28S rDNA support them being more closely related to actiniarians. Differences in taxon sampling and methods of analysis, and small sample sizes have contributed to problems with comparing among molecular analyses. We sequenced the nuclear 28S ribosomal RNA gene and the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal gene from representatives from most hexacorallian orders. Our preliminary parsimony analyses do not support a corallimorpharian clade. This research was supported by NSF grant DEB95-21819 (PEET) to DGF.