Data from: Conservation genetics of prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) at the periphery of its distribution range in Peace River, Canada

Populations at the edge of their range often invoke taxonomic confusion
and are increasingly considered to harbour cryptic genetic diversity of
significant adaptive potential. In the Peace River region of northwestern
Canada, three sculpin species have been reported: spoonhead (Cottus
ricei), slimy (Cottus cognatus) and prickly (Cottus asper) sculpin.
Prickly sculpin occurrence in this region represents the most eastern edge
of its distribution, but its status has remained uncertain following its
initial discovery in 1989. These populations may represent an
independently evolving lineage of special conservation concern, or be the
consequence of an ongoing range expansion, possibly accompanied by
interspecific hybridization with local species. Using a combination of
mtDNA sequencing and microsatellite analyses, we did not find peripheral
population differentiation or interspecific hybridization, suggesting that
the Albertan Peace River population belongs to the same genetic group as
its western counterparts. Future studies will benefit from a greater
understanding of whether demographically independent prickly sculpin
populations established in Alberta without the typical genetic signatures
of expansion at the periphery of their range.