Johnson, N.A., Beaver, C.E., Kiser, A.H., Duplessis, M.A., Wagner, M.D., Ellwanger, R.J., Robertson, C.R., Kinney, S.D., Gregory, B.B., Wolverton, S., Randklev, C.R., Hartfield, P.D., Williams, J.D., and Smith, C.H., 2023, Molecular and distributional data used to investigate misidentifications, population genetic diversity, and spatiotemporal trends in distribution for Pleurobema riddellii to help guide ESA listing decisions: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VGXMGN.
Freshwater mussels are a highly imperiled group of animals that are difficult to collect and identify. The Louisiana Pigtoe, Pleurobema riddellii, is proposed to be listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We compiled historical and contemporary distribution records for P. riddellii using field surveys and museum collections, confirmed identifications using DNA sequences to validate records, evaluated spatiotemporal changes in the distribution, assessed phylogeographic structure and genetic diversity within and among extant populations.
