Gyrodactylus salaris strain:Lier strain Genome sequencing and assembly. Gyrodactylus salaris strain:Lier strain

The Gyrodactylus salaris genome project produced a first high quality draft genome for Gyrodactylus salaris (Monogenea; Platyhelminthes), an economically important ectoparasite on salmonid fish hosts. The main host is Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) but the parasite can also infect Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). The draft genome provides a platform for future investigations of the genomic basis of the varying pathogenicity, host specificity, and –preference of various strains of G. salaris. Furthermore it provides the first reference for a representative of the Monogenea, one of the three major parasitic flatworm groups, and will enhance the understanding of the evolution of parasitism in flatworms.