1 The dataset

Analysis was performed on a new matrix of 35 early brachiozoan taxa, including hyoliths, tommotiids and mickwitziids, which were coded for 95 morphological characters (42 neomorphic, 53 transformational).

The dataset can be viewed and downloaded at Morphobank (project 2800), where each character is defined and its coding for each taxon discussed.

Characters are coded following the recommendations of Brazeau, Guillerme and Smith (Brazeau et al. 2017a). In brief, we have employed reductive coding, using a distinct state to mark character inapplicability. Character specifications follow the model of Sereno (2007).

We have distinguished between neomorphic and transformational characters (sensu Sereno 2007) by reserving the token 0 to refer to the absence of a neomorphic character. The states of transformational characters are represented by the tokens 1, 2, 3, …

Following the recommendations of Brazeau, Guillerme and Smith (Brazeau et al. 2017a, supplementary discussion), we code the absence of neomorphic ontologically dependent characters (sensu Vogt 2017) as absence, rather than inapplicability.

References

Brazeau, M. D., T. Guillerme, and M. R. Smith. 2017a: Morphological phylogenetic analysis with inapplicable data. BioR\(\chi\)iv.

Sereno, P. C. 2007: Logical basis for morphological characters in phylogenetics. Cladistics 23:565–587.

Vogt, L. 2017: The logical basis for coding ontologically dependent characters. Cladistics.