Rio Conchos pupfish microsatellite and mDNA data for population genetics

Understanding genetic and phylogenetic relationships among closely related
species is critical for effective conservation planning. In the Rio
Conchos basin of northern Mexico, Cyprinodon eximius has a widespread
distribution, occurring alongside neighboring microendemic species: C.
julimes, C. macrolepis. C. pachycephalus, and C. salvadori. Both the
widespread C. eximius and the microendemic congeners face threats from
climate change and anthropogenic habitat modification. We utilized 20
nuclear microsatellites and sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome b
region to investigate the evolutionary history and genetic structuring
among these taxa. Our analyses revealed multiple genetically distinct
groups within C. eximius, including strong divergence in the Devils River,
Texas, population. We also found support for recognizing the microendemic
populations across the basin as distinct species. However, discordance
between mitochondrial and nuclear data indicates historical introgression
between many microendemic species and adjacent C. eximius populations in
rivers connected to the Rio Conchos riverine habitats. These findings
suggest that conservation efforts in the Rio Conchos basin should treat C.
eximius populations in Mexico and Texas separately and recognize each
microendemic population as an independent conservation unit. The
microsatellite data has 12 populations and 5 species. For each of
species/population there are close to 30 individuals. For each individual,
the length is designated by two numbers for each marker. For the
mitochondrial DNA dataset, the sequence is listed under each individual,
their population, and the locus number. The metadata associated with the
mtDNA sequences are included in a separate text file.