Phylotranscriptomics interrogation uncovers a complex evolutionary history for the planarian genus Dugesia (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) in the Western Mediterranean. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107649

The genus Dugesia (Tricaldida, Platyhelminthes) constitutes one of the most representative groups of freshwater planarians in the Mediterranean ecosystems. Despite its high diversity in the Western Mediterranean, the evolutionary history of Dugesia has been poorly studied in this region. In this project, transcriptomic data is used to study the evolution of Dugesia in the Western Mediterranean. Different phylogenetic inference methods were used to analyse single-copy orthologs extracted from transcriptomic data. In addition, differential expression analyses between sexual and asexual animals have been performed to study the expression profiles of populations with different reproductive strategies.