Molecular phylogeny of some Indo-Pacific genera in the subfamily Turrinae H. Adams and A. Adams, 1853 (1853)

We have carried out a phylogenetic analysis of a group of IndoPacific species in the subfamily Turrinae (Swainson, 1840) using 12S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene sequences. Most of the species analyzed are conventionally assigned to one of three genera, Turris Röding, 1798, Gemmula Weinkauff, 1875 or Lophiotoma Casey, 1904. The molecular analysis revealed that while the species of Turris and Gemmula analyzed in this study comprise monophyletic groups, the species presently assigned to Lophiotoma definitely do not constitute a monophyletic assemblage and can be separated into two very distinctive groups of species based on the molecular analysis. The species presently designated as Lophiotoma tayahasensis Olivera, 2004, Lophiotoma panglaoensis Olivera, 2004, Lophiotoma indica (Röding, 1798) and Lophiotoma bisaya Olivera, 2004, are related to Lophiotoma (Unedogemmula) unedo (Kiener, 1839 in 1834-80) by molecular criteria, and are clearly widely separated from Turris, Gemmula or Lophiotoma (as redefined). We propose that Unedogemmula (MacNeil, 1960) be recognized as a full genus; Unedogemmula unedo (Kiener, 1839 in 1834-80) is the type species, and the species above are transferred from Lophiotoma to Unedogemmula