PUBLICATIONS A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH UNCOVERS HIDDEN DIVERSITY IN FRESHWATER MUSSELS (BIVALVIA: UNIONIDAE) WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A NOVEL SPECIES
JOURNAL ABSTRACT Major
geological
processes
have
shaped
biogeographical patterns of riverine biota. The Edwards Plateau of central Texas, USA, exhibits unique aquatic communities and endemism, including several species of freshwater mussels. Lampsilis bracteata (Gould, 1855) is endemic to the Edwards Plateau region; however, its phylogenetic relationship with other species in the Gulf coastal rivers and Mississippi River basin
is
unknown.
We
evaluated
phylogenetic
relationships, shell morphologies and soft anatomy characters of L. bracteata and a closely related congener, Lampsilis hydiana (Lea, 1838) throughout their ranges. Our results showed the presence of an undescribed
species:
Lampsilis
bergmanni
sp.n.
Lampsilis bracteata and L. bergmanni sp.n. share similar shell morphologies and soft anatomy characters; however, they are genetically distinct. Geological processes, such as faulting and sea-level changes
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during the Miocene to Pliocene, are likely to have facilitated diversification of Lampsilis species, resulting in isolation of L. bracteata on the Edwards Plateau and
AUTHORS KENTARO INOUE JOHN HARRIS
diversification between L. bergmanni sp.n. and L. NATHAN JOHNSON CHARLES RANDKLEV
CLINTON ROBERTSON
hydiana. We conclude that L. bracteata range is restricted to the Colorado River basin, whereas L. bergmanni sp.n. occurs only in upstream reaches of the Guadalupe River basin. Conservation actions are
CITATION Inoue, K., J.L. Harris, C.R. Robertson, N.A. Johnson and C.R. Randklev. 2020. A comprehensive approach uncovers hidden diversity in freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) with the description of a novel species. Cladistics 36:88-113.
warranted for both species due to their restricted distributions and potential anthropogenic threats.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT? Research involving shell morphologies, phylogenetic relationships and soft anatomy characteristics revealed an undescribed species genetically distinct from a similar species. Reclassification warrants conservation action given the restricted distributions of both species.
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