“…Molecular genetic studies on freshwater mussels that address phylogenetic placement and species boundaries have been pivotal in inferring important biological characteristics of species (e.g., host use, reproductive traits, habitat preference) and ensuring the taxonomic validity of protected species or those being considered for protection (Johnson et al, 2018; Pfeiffer, Johnson, Randklev, Howells, & Williams, 2016; Smith, Johnson, Pfeiffer, & Gangloff, 2018). Although considerable progress has been made in understanding ecology (Dudding, Hart, Khan, Robertson, Lopez, & Randklev 2019; Hart, Haag, Bringolf, & Stoeckel, 2018; Johnson, McLeod, Holcomb, Rowe, & Williams, 2016; Sietman, Hove, & Davis, 2018) and evolution (Inoue, Harris, Robertson, Johnson, & Randklev, 2020; Lopes‐Lima et al, 2017; Pfeiffer, Atkinson, et al, 2019; Pfeiffer, Breinholt, & Page, 2019; Smith, Johnson, Inoue, Doyle, & Randklev, 2019; Smith, Pfeiffer, & Johnson 2020) of freshwater mussels in recent years, many species still remain poorly understood and species validity has not been confirmed using robust molecular genetic analyses (Haag, 2012; Lopes‐Lima, Burlakova, et al, 2018). This is certainly the case in the southwestern United States, where diversity, distribution, and ecology of many mussel species are still poorly understood (Haag, 2012; Howells, Neck, & Murray, 1996).…”