Editing Hellbender (section)

==Taxonomy==
The genus ''Cryptobranchus'' has historically been considered to contain only one species, ''C.&nbsp;alleganiensis'', with two subspecies, ''C.&nbsp;a. alleganiensis'' and ''C.&nbsp;a. bishopi''.<ref name=amphibiaweb1/> A recent decline in population size of the Ozark subspecies ''C.&nbsp;a. bishopi'' has led to further research into populations of this subspecies, including genetic analysis to determine the best method for conservation.<ref name=cryptobranchus2/>
Crowhurst et al., for instance, found that the "Ozark subspecies" denomination is insufficient for describing genetic (and therefore evolutionary) divergence within the genus ''Cryptobranchus'' in the Ozark region. They found three equally divergent genetic units within the genus: ''C.&nbsp;a. alleganiensis'', and two distinct eastern and western populations of ''C.&nbsp;a.  bishopi''. These three groups were shown to be isolated, and are considered to most likely be "diverging on different evolutionary paths".<ref name=cryptobranchus2/>