Tachypleus syriacus (Woodward)—a sexually dimorphic Cretaceous crown limulid reveals underestimated horseshoe crab divergence times

• Published in: Organisms diversity & evolution 2015-12, Vol.15 (4), p.681-693
• Main Authors: Lamsdell, James C., McKenzie, Scott C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Developmental Biology; Evolutionary Biology; Life Sciences; Original Article; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
• ISSN: 1439-6092; 1618-1077
• DOI: 10.1007/s13127-015-0229-3

The fossil record represents an important test to molecular divergence estimates, with known occurrences representing minimum divergence times for sister taxa. As such, accurately placing fossils in phylogenies is integral to understanding the patterns and processes that shape the tree of life. The chelicerate order Xiphosura comprises classic archetypes of morphological stasis, with the earliest known Ordovician representatives exhibiting all key morphological characteristics of the group. Molecular studies on the four extant species consistently retrieve a basal split between Limulinae and Tachypleinae, but conflict regarding the relationships of the three Asian species. Molecular divergence estimates using either no or a single fossil calibration point infer a Cretaceous or Palaeogene origin for Limulidae and a Palaeogene or Neogene origin for Tachypleinae and Tachypleus . Here, we present male and female specimens of Tachypleus syriacus (=‘ Mesolimulus ’ syriacus ) from the Cretaceous of Lebanon, revealing an anterior scalloped carapace margin in males—a derived condition of sexual dimorphism shared with Tachypleus tridentatus . Morphological phylogenetic analysis of total group Limulidae retrieves a monophyletic Tachypleus with a minimum divergence time during the Cretaceous, while crown-group Tachypleinae and Limulidae are both present during the Triassic, showing that molecular clock analyses have significantly underestimated the divergence times for these taxa.