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Dryad

Microsatellite genotype data from seven loci for a phylogeographic/population genetic study of the South African endemic freshwater crab Potamonautes lividus sampled from eight localities in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa

Cite this dataset

Daniels, Savel (2021). Microsatellite genotype data from seven loci for a phylogeographic/population genetic study of the South African endemic freshwater crab Potamonautes lividus sampled from eight localities in the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.18931zctw

Abstract

  1. During the present study, the phylogeography of the only southern African IUCN Red Listed vulnerable (VU) freshwater crab, Potamonautes lividus was investigated by surveying several localities in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa. Both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers were used, and it was hypothesized, that marked genetic differentiation should be present, while niche modeling was undertaken to explore the distribution of the species along the east coast of South Africa. Further, the shortfalls in the present approach to IUCN Red Listing, as illustrated by a vulnerable species of crabs are discussed.
  2. Results from the mtDNA revealed the presence of two haploclades confined to specimens from the two provinces respectively and the general absence of maternal dispersal; a fact that was further validated by the marked FST data and high FST. Within the Eastern Cape haploclade, low frequency maternal dispersal occurred, corroborated by the low FST. In contrast, no haplotypes were shared in the KwaZulu-Natal haploclade a fact corroborated by marked FST differences. 
  3. The microsatellite data demonstrated the presence of higher frequency, possibly paternally biased dispersal of specimens between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Our results suggest that presence of two distinct management units within P. lividus. Divergence time estimation suggest a late Pleistocene cladogenesis between the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal haploclades. 
  4. Considering the presence of P. lividus in several newly collected nature conservation areas in both provinces, and its potential presence in the intermediary area based on the MAXENT niche modeling, our data suggest the species IUCN Red Listing status should be downgraded to LC.
  5. A comparison of all the EN, VU and CR IUCN Red Listed freshwater crabs for the entire Afrotropical region reveals the lack of recent sampling in the three biodiversity hotspots in West, Central and East Africa, with mountainous areas containing a disproportionate number of species with most species being devoid of phylogeographic study. 

Methods

Microsattelite data

Usage notes

The data are presented as an Excel spreadsheet in GenAlEx format