Genomic analysis reveals remarkable hidden biodiversity within colugos, and the sister group to primates.

We present the first draft whole genome sequence of the Sunda colugo and show decisively that colugos are the sister group to primates. We identify key genomic changes that underpin the evolution of both early primates and colugos, including selection on vision and brain-related genes, and evidence that selection for enhanced visual processing in a nocturnal, arboreal milieu corresponds with a relaxation of selection on olfaction. A large and comprehensive genomic capture-based analysis of museum specimens reveals that species diversity has been vastly underestimated. We demonstrate that museum collections provide an unrivaled repository for assessing the diversity and discovery of endangered species, and that colugos are powerful biogeographic indicators of ancient forested corridors in Southeast Asia.