DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7dp5v
title: Data from: Cladistic assignment of specimens to species of the cystoporate bryozoan genera Strotopora Ulrich and Cliotrypa Ulrich and Bassler using gap-coded characters

description: Gap-coding permits the use of continuous metric characters in cladistic
 analyses. Character means are converted to integer equivalents by placing
 character state divisions in the locations of phenetic breaks between
 specimen clusters, under the assumption that these breaks represent the
 locations of bottlenecks in character distributions. Similarities and
 differences between specimens from closely related species of cystoporate
 bryozoans were evaluated for the first time by converting continuous
 morphometric measurements into gap-coded binary and multistate characters
 and analyzing them cladistically, rather than just phenetically, across
 multiple species of Strotopora, Cliotrypa ramosa and Fistulipora
 compressa. Our results demonstrate that cladistic analysis of gap-coded
 morphological characters can be effective in resolving phylogenetic
 relationships at low taxonomic levels (within and among genera) while
 objectively highlighting both the morphological features that specimens
 (taxa) share and those characteristics that differentiate them.
 Differences in cystiphragm abundances and sizes, especially in the
 proximal portions of colonies, discriminate between species of Strotopora.
 Colony size and growth form, abundances and lengths of hemiphragms, and
 sizes of cystopores discriminate between Strotopora and the closely
 related genus Cliotrypa. Cladistic patterns indicate that Strotopora
 foveolata Ulrich is a valid species with Strotopora dermata as its junior
 subjective synonym. Fistulipora compressa is reassigned to the genus
 Strotopora whereas a decision on the taxonomic status of Cliotrypa ramosa
 requires a broader cladistic analysis of fistuliporine genera.
description: Appendix
 1Means of morphometric
 measurements for each specimen. Missing measurement indicators (?) were
 retained for cladistic analysis whereas species’ means were substituted
 for missing measurements (bold) for phenetic analyses. BSLC and BSLZ were
 removed from analyses because missing values substantially outnumbered
 measurements.Appendix
 2Summary statistics for
 morphological characters measured in Strotopora compressa. Characters are
 defined in Table 1. N = number of measurements. Means for each measured
 specimen are listed in Appendix 3.Appendix
 3Character means for
 specimens of Strotopora compressa. Characters are defined in Table 1. Ten
 replicate measurements were collected for each quantity unless indicated
 by a superscript value. Missing values indicated by dashes. All specimens
 are from the UMMP; UMMP 6547G has been selected as the lectotype, with
 UMMP 6547A-F, and H designated as paratypes.Appendix
 4Summary statistics for
 morphological characters of Strotopora foveolata. Characters are defined
 in Table 1. N = number of measurements. Character means for each specimen
 are listed in Appendix 5.Appendix
 5Character means for
 specimens of Strotopora foveolata. Characters are defined in Table 1. Ten
 replicate measurements were collected for each quantity unless indicated
 by a superscript value. Missing values indicated by dashes. All specimens
 are from the USNM with accession numbers indicated for individual
 specimens.Appendix
 6Summary statistics for
 morphological characters of Strotopora dermata. Characters are defined in
 Table 1. N = number of measurements Character means for each specimen are
 listed in Appendix 7.Appendix
 7Character means for
 specimens of Strotopora dermata. Characters are defined in Table 1. Ten
 replicate measurements were collected for each quantity unless indicated
 by a superscript value. Missing values indicated by dashes; all specimens
 are from the USNM.Appendix
 8Summary statistics for
 morphological characters of Cliotrypa ramosa. Characters are defined in
 Table 1. N = number of measurements. Character means for each specimen are
 listed in Appendix 9.Appendix
 9Character means for
 specimens of Cliotrypa ramosa. Characters are defined in Table 1. Ten
 replicate measurements were collected for each quantity unless indicated
 by a superscript value. Missing values indicated by dashes. All specimens
 are from the USNM with accession numbers indicated for individual
 specimens. The holotype is USNM 92133.Appendix
 10Integer codes for 21
 characters used in cladistic analysis. Characters are defined in Table 1,
 original measurement means are in Appendix 1, and gap-coding intervals,
 character weighting factors, and final character weights are listed in
 Table 2. Missing codes (not measureable) indicated by question
 marks.Appendix
 11Apomorphies separating
 specimens assigned to Strotopora and Cliotrypa. Labeled nodes in the
 cladogram are referred to in the apomorphies listed below. Character
 abbreviations are described in Table 1 and codes are listed in Appendix
 10.