Dugesia (Tricladida, Platyhelminthes) Cox1, 18S, 28S, ITS-1, DUNUC3, DUNUC5 datasets for worldwide biogeographic study

Aim: Freshwater planarians may have a wide geographic range despite their assumed low vagility. Found across four continents, Dugesia may have either an ancient origin on a large paleo landmass, followed by colonisation in different regions before continental fragmentation, or a more recent origin and subsequent transoceanic dispersal. We seek to resolve between these two hypotheses. Location: Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia Taxon: Genus Dugesia (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Dugesiidae) Methods: We used data from the sequencing of six gene fragments and comprehensive taxonomic sampling of Dugesia from across its distribution range to reconstruct the phylogeny of this genus using maximum likelihood and bayesian inference methods. We conducted two phylogenetic dating analyses using Platyhelminthes fossils and palaeogeological events. Basing on the time-calibrated molecular phylogenetic framework we evaluated the contribution of vicariance and dispersal to the biogeographic evolution of D...