phylogeny

"It describes a new genus and species, but places them in the phylogeny of tardigrades," Nelson told Salon.

Quattrini and her collaborators created this map of evolutionary relationships, or phylogeny, using genetic data from 185 species of octocorals.

Next, the team mapped out the branches of the phylogeny that featured living bioluminescent species.

The results corroborated the systematic membership of Dermaptera to Polyneoptera and strongly supported the phylogeny within the order, which was inferred from the latest molecular phylogenetic analyses but was significantly different from the conventional understanding.

Identifying and analyzing poorly-studied protists, such as M. sporadica, is essential for elucidating the phylogeny and diversity of eukaryotes.