Big Spider, Big Genome: Chromosome-level genome of a North American tarantula (Aphonopelma marxi) and comparative genomics across 300 million years of spider evolution

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  Image Credit: WikiCommons Big Spider, Big Genome: Chromosome-level genome of a North American tarantula (Aphonopelma marxi) and comparative genomics across 300 million years of spider evolution Abstract The comparison of chromosome-level genomes allows biologists to investigate new axes of organismal evolution. Spiders comprise a significant proportion of known arachnid diversity, with many complex morphologies and unique natural histories, yet comparative genomics in spiders has been limited due to the number of available genomes. We present a de novo chromosomal reference genome of a mature male tarantula, Aphonopelma marxi, and comparatively examine spider genome evolution across the Order Araneae. Using PacBio HiFi and Hi-C sequencing, the final 6.5 Gb assembly consists of 17 autosomes, 1 X chromosome, and 127 unplaced scaffolds, with an N50 of 370 Mb and Arachnida (odb10; 2934 genes) BUSCO of 96.7%. By comparing 20 additional spider genomes from 15 families, we find mygalomo...

New and poorly known species of Bowie Jäger, 2022 (Araneae: Ctenidae) from Southeast Asia

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New and poorly known species of Bowie Jäger, 2022 (Araneae: Ctenidae) from Southeast Asia

Abstract

Three new species, B. catopuma sp. nov. (♀) (Borneo, Malaysia), B. musang sp. nov. (♂♀) and B. tangalunga sp. nov. (♂) (both from Mindanao, Philippines), are described. Species of shakeit group are recorded outside of Borneo for the first time (Philippines). The females of Bowie neukoeln Jäger, 2022 and Bowie shakeit Jäger, 2022, and the male of B. hosei (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) are redescribed. Detailed descriptions, digital photographs and a distributional map are provided.

Omelko, M. M. & Fomichev, A. A. (2024b). New and poorly known species of Bowie Jäger, 2022 (Araneae: Ctenidae) from Southeast Asia. Zootaxa 5543(3): 383-403. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5543.3.5