Notice of RetractionMolecular Phylogeny of the Genera Helice and Helicana (Crustacea: Brachyura: Varunidae) Based on the 12S rRNA Gene from China

Notice of Retraction

After careful and considered review of the content of this paper by a duly constituted expert committee, this paper has been found to be in violation of IEEE´s Publication Principles.

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The molecular phylogeny of the crab genera Helice and Helicana from China was studied using the mitochondrial small subunit (12S) ribosomal (r) RNA gene. The results indicated that Helice and Helicana were each shown to be monophyletic genera. Two species of the genus Helice, H latimera and H. tientsinensis, formed a species complex, while the base pair differences and nucleotide divergences of 12S rRNA within them were ≤ 3 bp and 0.53% respectively. This implies that they may represent the same species with an intraspecific variable number and shape of suborbital tubercles. The lack of variation between them revealed a recent separation. The DNA sequence data also showed that two species of the genus Helicana, H japonica and H wuana, were genetically distinct from one another, while the base-pair differences and nucleotide divergences of 12S rRNA between the two species were ≥ 22bp and 4.05% respectively. The molecular study endorsed the tax on of Helice/Chasmagnathus group by morphology.