Marlo Krisberg asked:
 
"Bivalves" is pretty comprehensive.  Could you provide a little more
explanation of the scope and content of a "DNA-based phylogeny of the
bivalves."  Does this go to the species level?  How many thousands of DNA
examinations do you anticipate to accomplish your objective?
 
 
I am focusing on the superfamily level and above, although certain families
with particular questions about their affinities are of interest, too.
There are roughly 40 superfamilies of bivalves, but the published coverage
for molecular data is very uneven.  Anomalodesmatans and protobranchs are
particularly poorly known, which is not surprising given their frequent
small size and deep water habitat.  Other taxa of particular interest
include Crassatelloidea, Lucinoidea, Trigonoidea, Dimyoidea, Solenoidea,
Glossoidea, Gastrochaenoidea, and Hiatelloidea.  Taxa well-represented by
published data include Mytilus, Crassostrea, Ostrea, mactrids, and advanced
cardiids (including Tridacna).  Apart from these, few enough species have
been studied that the odds are good that whatever you collect will be
undocumented for DNA.  The first several species with cooperative DNA (in
addition to my current collections) will go into the PhD, and additional
material will serve for further research.
 
Thanks!
 
David Campbell
 
David Campbell
 
"Old Seashells"
 
Department of Geology
CB 3315 Mitchell Hall
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill NC 27599-3315
USA
 
919-962-0685
FAX 919-966-4519
 
"He had discovered an unknown bivalve, forming a new genus"-E. A. Poe, The
Gold Bug