Delsuc F, Philippe H, Tsagkogeorga G, Simion P, Tilak MK, Turon X, López-Legentil S, Piette J, Lemaire P, Douzery EJP.

BMC Biol. 2018 Apr 13;16(1):39. doi:10.1186/s12915-018-0499-2

A phylogenomic framework and timescale for comparative studies of tunicates.

Phylogenetic tree based on 258 orthologous proteins from 63 species shows Oikopleura as a sister group of all other tunicates, with a split 447 ± 20 Mya ago. A long-branch attraction artefact can nevertheless not be excluded.