Genome-wide target capture baits for endangered shark species

More than 30% of extant shark species are classified as threatened with extinction, yet reliable population-level data is often rare, frequently due to a lack of genomic resources. Here we present a new genome-wide marker set for endangered shark species. We developed a target gene capture bait set based on the transcriptome and genome of a Lamnid shark, and tested it on 36 shark specimens, representing seven species from three orders. Illumina read mapping and calling of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) showed high target recovery rates, especially in the order Lamniformes, providing several thousand detected biallelic SNPs in each species tested. Our results show this marker set can be used for SNP-calling in a broad range of shark species, enabling detailed population assessments and other ecological and evolutionary studies.