Arthropod phylogeny
Arthropod phylogeny research in the Natural History Museum investigates Cambrian animals from sites such as the Burgess Shale. This image shows Waptia fieldensis.
We use diverse morphological and molecular evidence to infer the interrelationships between and within the 4 main arthropod groups - insects, crustaceans, myriapods and chelicerates. Our work includes assigning fossil taxa to their stem groups.
Current projects include:
- Phylogenomic analyses using expressed sequence tags (ESTs)
- Sampling the distribution of microRNAs in the major arthropod lineages as a new source of phylogenetic characters
- Cladistic analysis of morphological data for a broad sample of extant and extinct species
- Documentation of soft anatomy from arthropods in sites of exceptional preservation, especially Cambrian ‘Burgess Shale-type’ assemblages
- Preservation and evolution of neural and sensory structures in Cambrian moulting animals
- Ontogeny and evolution of anomalocaridids
Staff involved in these projects:
Dr Xiaoya Ma
Dr Allison Daley