Phylogeny and phylogeography of the white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipex complex) in the rivers of the Adriatic Basin

Systematics of the white‐clawed crayfish is continuously debated and as such caused problems for effective conservation and population management. To improve the knowledge on this endangered species complex, its phylogenetic relationships and species phylogeography within the Adriatic Basin were revised using results from analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), codominant nuclear DNA markers (microsatellites), and morphometrics. Analyses on mtDNA resulted with description of new lineages. Distribution of mtDNA lineages has regular geographic pattern and can be related to geological history of the Adriatic region dated from Messinian salinity crisis until Pleistocene marine regressions. Microsatellites analyses revealed introgression and admixture of nuclear genome between distinct mtDNA lineages. Results of morphometrical analyses are in line with the genetic structur e obtained from microsatellites analyses. The obtained results enabled definition of Evolutionary Significant Units and Management Units, useful in future conservation and management of endangered white-clawed crayfish populations in the Adriatic Sea basins. Also, it confirms a necessity of multiple analyses application (molecular and morphological) in managing endangered species populations.