Cladistic Analysis of Metazoan Relationships: A Reappraisal

Authors :: Backeljau, Thierry
Winnepenninckx, Birgitta
De Bruyn, Luc
Source :: Cladistics (prior to Jan 1, 2004); January 1993, Vol. 9 Issue: 2 p167-181, 15p
Publication Year :: 1993
Abstract: Abstract—A recently published cladistic analysis of metazoan relationships based on 77 embryological and morphological characters is shown to be defective with respect to both methodological issues and the interpretation of certain characters. Consequently, many conclusions of this analysis are not supported by the data. Alternative phylogenetic hypotheses are therefore proposed, based on a re-evaluation of an adapted data set.