Quills of Confusion! Genomic insight into the evolution and morphology of sea pens (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Pennatuloidea) - UCE data files

ea pens (Superfamily <i>Pennatuloidea</i>) are colonial octocorals with diverse morphologies. Using genomic-scale data (Ultra-Conserved Elements) and mitochondrial <i>mtMutS</i>, we reconstructed their phylogenies to understand their evolutionary history. Our results show that the sea pens split into two major clades and that most families are not monophyletic, indicating a need for taxonomic revision. We also found that leaf-like colony morphology evolved independently multiple times, suggesting a complex history of morphological evolution.