A comparative study of nemertean complete mitochondrial genomes, including two new ones for Nectonemertes cf. mirabilis and Zygeupolia rubens, may elucidate the fundamental pattern for the phylum Nemertea

Table 4 Pairwise common interval distance matrix of mitochondrial gene orders of nemerteans, the putative bilaterian ground pattern and six other lophotrochozoans *

Common interval	B	P	H	H	Tr	Kt	Uc	Sn	Pe	Pp
Bilaterian ground pattern (B)	204\1326	18	20	20	18	20	12	14	20	12
Palaeonemertean (P)	44	204\1326	108	112	40	154	28	42	38	142
Heteronemertean (H)	52	86	204\1326	1124	68	184	18	64	56	230
Hoplonemertean (H)	44	72	178	204\1326	84	212	18	68	66	254
Terebratulina retusa (Tr)	52	86	204	178	204\1326	128	20	74	82	110
Katharina tunicata (Kt)	48	56	106	94	106	204\1326	20	62	64	266
Urechis caupo (Uc)	16	8	14	8	14	34	204\1326	54	144	22
Sipunculus nudus (Sn)	34	12	22	16	22	26	26	204\1326	158	38
Perionyx excavatus (Pe)^a	28	24	40	32	40	48	44	60	204\1254	44
Phoronis psammophila (Pp)^b	40	48	84	76	84	98	22	24	38	204\864

*bold numbers represent pairwise common interval distances between mitochondrial gene orders (37 genes in total), while italic numbers represent pairwise common interval distances between mt gene orders without tRNAs (15 genes in total)
^alacks trnR
^blacks several tRNAs

ISSN: 1471-2164