To identify spurious clades resulting from adaptive convergence in morphological characters, we followed the criteria proposed by Wiens, Chippindale & Hillis (2003): (i) evidence that the clade is incorrect (e.g. clade not recovered in the reference phylogeny); (ii) support for the clade based on morphology; and (iii) ecological relevance of the incorrect clade.
We first discuss variation for morphological and molecular characters, followed by the implications for the origins of Galapagos Pteridium.
The morphological matrix was developed for this study by coding morphological characters for Physcomitrella but otherwise follows the morphological matrix used in previous studies [ 3, 5, 54].
Following Wetterer et al. (2000), morphological characters were subdivided among six classes: pelage and integument, skull and dentition, postcranium, hyoid apparatus, tongue, and internal [subsuming the few characters that Wetterer et al. (2000) apportioned among the brain, digestive and reproductive tracts].
This most probably suggests a rapid colonization of the islands followed by a strong effect of selection operating over the morphological characters used to define the subspecies.
We found only one clear morphological synapomorphic character following the phylogenetic relationships of myxozoans.
The morphological characters included culture characteristics and the morphology of conidia.
To define candidate species, we followed an integrated approach that combined genetic divergence with bioacoustic and morphological characters [ 24, 48, 54, 55].
Molecular characters can often be identified less ambiguously than morphological characters.
Eleven morphological characters were coded, of which characters 1 6 were derived from the forewing and characters 7 11 were derived from the hindwing as follows.
