Priapulus caudatus belongs to the Priapulidae Family, a small group of marine and vermiform invertebrates of uncertain phylogenetic position

A draft assembly of the Priapulus caudatus genome sequence is expected. A BAC library is already under construction and a ~6X BAC end-sequencing will be performed. This project is part of a sequencing proposal submitted by an international group of universities whose main goal is to elucidate the evolutionary relationships within the Ecdysozoa. Sequencing of a total of 5 Ecdysozoa species will be undertaken at the Washington University Genome Sequencing Center.