Molecular and morphological data to facilitate future research on freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae: Anodontinae)

Abstract

This data article presents the multi-locus DNA alignments, morphometric data, and details on specimens examined to resolve the evolutionary history of Anodontoides and Strophitus, primarily generic placement and species boundaries. We sequenced 3 loci to create our molecular matrix: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, NADH dehydrogenase subunit I, and the nuclear-encoded ribosomal internal transcribed spacer I. Aligned sequences were used in phylogenetic analyses and to identify diagnostic nucleotides for Strophitus pascagoulaensis, Strophitus radiatus, Strophitus sp. cf. pascagoulaensis, and Strophitus williamsi. Linear morphometrics (i.e. maximum height, length, and width) were also implemented to further evaluate species boundaries within Strophitus. For further details and experimental findings, please refer to the article published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (Smith et al., 2018) [1]. Keywords: Multi-locus sequence data, Linear morphometric data, Strophitus, Species boundaries