Received: 15 October 2019 | Revised: 4 August 2020 | Accepted: 14 August 2020 DOI: 10.1002/edn3.133 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Certain detection of uncertain taxa: eDNA detection of a cryptic mountain sucker (Pantosteus jordani) in the Upper Missouri River, USA Daniel H. Mason1 | Joseph C. Dysthe1 | Thomas W. Franklin1 | Chris L. Williams2 | Michael K. Young1 | Kevin S. McKelvey1 | Michael K. Schwartz1 1U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, National Genomics Center Abstract for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Missoula, A lineage of the Mountain Sucker species complex (Pantosteus jordani) exists as a MT, USA genetically and morphologically distinct taxon restricted to the Missouri River basin. 2U.S. Forest Service, Bighorn National Forest, Sheridan, WY, USA This species is thought to be declining throughout its range and is assumed to be extirpated from the southern portion of its distribution. We developed a quantita- Correspondence Daniel H. Mason, U.S. Forest Service, tive PCR-based environmental DNA assay for P. jordani to help define and monitor Rocky Mountain Research Station, National its current range. The assay is both specific to P. jordani and sensitive to low amounts Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Missoula, MT 59801, USA. of DNA, with a detection limit of 10 DNA copies per reaction. In vitro experiments Email:
[email protected] involved testing DNA from twenty tissue samples, collected from the Missouri Funding information River basin in Montana and Wyoming. The assay efficiently detected DNA of all P. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation jordani samples and did not amplify DNA of any closely related nontarget species.