AUTHORS: Patrick F. Allison Jr., University of Mississippi; Corey G. Dunn, U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit; North Carolina State University; Susan B. Adams, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research; Jesse W. Breinholt, LGC RAPiD Genomics; Kenneth A. Sterling, USDA Forest Service; Devin M. Raburn, North Carolina Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit; North Carolina State University; Zanethia C. Barnett, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research; Ryan C. Garrick, University of Mississippi
ABSTRACT: Recent advancements in morphological data collection and molecular phylogenetics have resulted in numerous updates to crayfish taxonomy. However, there are still problematic taxa among these decapods. The genus Hobbseus is one such group, as the morphological characters traditionally used for species identification can provide ambiguous diagnoses. Given that some Hobbseus species have been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act, this uncertainty is particularly concerning, as it inhibits implementation of effective conservation strategies. We reassess the taxonomy of Hobbseus using an integrative approach to species delimitation that combines morphological and molecular data. We include four complementary datasets: 1) traditional morphometrics; 2) geometric morphometrics; 3) single-locus mitochondrial DNA sequences; and 4) multi-locus hybrid enrichment single copy nuclear DNA sequences. Here, we provide preliminary results from analyses of the DNA sequence datasets.
