Comparative species delimitation of a biological conservation icon

The conservation of biodiversity relies on an accurate assessment of species diversity. We present a comparative reference-based taxonomic approach to species delimitation that integrates genomic and morphological data for objective assessment of the distinctiveness of species targeted for protection by governmental agencies. We apply this protocol to the Snail Darter (Percina tanasi), a freshwater fish from the Tennessee River that was the focus of the first major legal conflict over protections afforded by the United States Endangered Species Act. Here, we demonstrate the Snail Darter is not a distinct species but is a population of the Stargazing Darter (Percina uranidea) described in 1886. These results illustrate how integrating multiple lines of evidence in a comparative framework is imperative for properly directing efforts to protect species.This BioProject includes double digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequences for the 673 darter (Percidae: Etheomastinae) specimens used in the study "Comparative species delimitation of a biological conservation icon." The project includes FASTQ files for the following darter: Percina tanasi, Percina uranidea, Etheostoma akatulo, Etheostoma atripinne, Etheostoma basilare, Etheostoma fragi, Etheostoma planasaxatile, Etheostoma simoterum, Etheostoma smithi, Etheostoma stigmaeum, Etheostoma striatulum, Etheostoma uniporum, Nothonotus bellus, Nothonotus camurus, Nothonotus denoncourti, Nothonotus microlepidus, Nothonotus sanguifluus, Nothonotus starnesi, Nothonotus tippecanoe, Percina apina, Percina austroperca, Percina burtoni, Percina cf. palmaris, Percina palmaris, Percina cymatotaenia, Percina kathae, Percina kusha, Percina macrocephala, Percina sipsi, Percina smithvanizi, Percina stictogaster, Percina vigil, and Percina williamsi.