Characteristics of mitochondrial DNA of unionid bivalves (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae). I. Detection and characteristics of doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) of unionid mitochondrial DNA

Doubly Uniparental Inheritance (DUI), a peculiar way of inheritance of mitochondrial DNA in animals, has been detected in seven families of marine and freshwater bivalves, including Unionidae, andylogenetic analyses showed that in the genus Unio the youngest species were U. pictorum and U. mancus, and the earliest species was U. tumidus, showing the greatest genetic distinctness.