Patera clarkii and Patera nantahala systematics

Under accepted taxonomy prior to this study, Patera clarkii consisted of two subspecies: Patera clarkii clarkii and Patera clarkii nantahala. Patera clarkii nantahala is federally listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. However, genomic data had never been generated for P. c. nantahala, casting doubt on whether Patera clarkii nantahala was a distinct lineage. We generated 3RAD data to test whether putative subspecies of Patera clarkii were valid or if they deserved recognition at the species level. Genomic data supported Patera nantahala as a valid species.