![]() ![]() freudensteini.Ĭhapters 2¬–5 relied on mtDNA, a helpful tool in systematics that allowed me to answer many but not all questions that I had about the systematics of Lacunicambarus. During the course of that work, I also stumble upon and describe the Banded Mudbug, L. miltus, which leads to the description of the Lonesome Gravedigger, L. ![]() In chapter 5, I take a closer look at the systematics of the Rusty Gravedigger, L. In chapter 4, I describe the Jewel Mudbug, Lacunicambarus dalyae, a remarkable species with unique morphological traits that allow me to differentiate it from the Paintedhand Mudbug, L. Specifically, in chapter 3, I describe the Crawzilla Crawdad, Lacunicambarus chimera, a species which was previously lumped in with L. As my datasets increase in size, so too does my understanding of Lacunicambarus, allowing me to describe several new species. In each case, I increase depth and breadth of my sampling as I gradually collect additional specimens to use in my morphological and molecular analyses. In chapters 3, 4 and 5, I continue my investigation of what is now the genus Lacunicambarus. nov.) and designate a neotype for the species to facilitate subsequent revisionary work. I redescribe Lacunicambarus and the devil crayfish sensu stricto (Lacunicambarus diogenes comb. Based on these results and on unique morphological and ecological characteristics, I split seven of the eight DCG species from Cambarus and elevate the subgenus Lacunicambarus to generic rank to accommodate them. My analyses show that seven of the eight species from the DCG form a clade that is distinct from the remainder of what has traditionally been recognized as Cambarus. In chapter 2, I take the first steps towards resolving the taxonomy of the DCG by testing the hypothesis that this group is monophyletic through phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequence data (mtDNA) from multiple specimens of the eight DCG species and a broad sampling of taxa representing approximately 70% of the species in what is currently recognized as the genus Cambarus. My work elucidates the evolutionary relationships between the species in this group and generates a robust taxonomic framework that will help managers identify and prioritize species for conservation. I specifically focus on revising the taxonomy of Cambarus diogenes and other members of what I provisionally term the Devil Crayfish Group (DCG) using an integrative taxonomic approach. The overarching goal of my dissertation is to ameliorate the North American primary burrowing crayfish taxonomic impediment by describing new species and revising taxonomic classifications. ![]()
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