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A test of DNA barcoding in crayfish of the upper James River basin, Virginia
Cabe PR, Navalsky BE, Bloomer AK, Doherty R, Edgren J, Putney JE and Bezold KA 
Published Online: 12/31/2015
Abstract
Crayfish populations in North America face many conservation threats, including habitat loss, degradation, and the introduction of non-native species. The management of biological diversity requires accurate identification of species, and for crayfish, many species are difficult to identify using standard morphological approaches. We investigated DNA barcoding using cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene sequences to determine if this widely used method is useful in the identification of crayfish. As a test case, we sampled crayfish from the middle and upper James River basin in Virginia. This area had been recently surveyed by experienced crayfish biologists, and hosts a moderate number of species. We collected nearly 300 COI sequences, which clustered clearly into seven groups, mirroring the seven species reported for this watershed. Despite the unambiguous clustering, the range of sequence variation within species overlapped the range of variation between species; we detected no clear “barcode gap.” Although this method holds promise as an aid to crayfish identification, current sequence databases (GenBank, BOLD) do not contain enough appropriate COI sequences to allow unequivocal identification in this unique and understudies fauna.
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How to Cite
Cabe PR, Navalsky BE, Bloomer AK, Doherty R, Edgren J, Putney JE and Bezold KA. (2015). A test of DNA barcoding in crayfish of the upper James River basin, Virginia. Freshwater Crayfish 21(1):179-183. doi: 10.5869/fc.2015.v21-1.179
Author Information
Paul R. Cabe,* Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: cabep@wlu.edu
Bradley E. Navalsky, Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: navalskyb16@mail.wlu.edu
Ainsley K. Bloomer, Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: bloomera15@mail.wlu.edu
Ryan Doherty, Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: dohertyr14@mail.wlu.edu
Jordan Edgren, Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: edgrenj@mail.wlu.edu
Joy E. Putney, Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: putneyj16@mail.wlu.edu
Kelly A. Bezold, Biology, Washington & Lee University, 204 W. Washington St., Lexington, Virginia, USA24450. E-mail: bezoldk@wlu.edu
Corresponding Author indicated by an *.
Publication History
Manuscript Submitted: 6/8/2015
Manuscript Accepted: 12/1/2015
Published Online: 12/31/2015
Published in Print: 12/31/2015
Funding Information
No specific funding statement is available for this article.