Alignments for probes, raw WGS reads, and WGS assemblies

Ascidians (Phylum Chordata, Class Ascidiacea) are a large group of
invertebrates which occupy a central role in the ecology of marine benthic
communities.  Many ascidian species have become successfully
introduced around the world via anthropogenic vectors.  The
botryllid ascidians (Order Stolidobranchia, Family Styelidae) are a group
of 53 colonial species, several of which are widespread throughout
temperate or tropical and subtropical waters.  However, the
systematics and biology of this group of ascidians is not
well-understood.  To provide a systematic framework for this
group, we have constructed a well-resolved phylogenomic tree using 200
novel loci and 55 specimens.  A Principal Components Analysis of
all species described in the literature using 31 taxonomic characteristics
revealed that some species occupy a unique morphological space and can be
easily identified using characteristics of adult colonies.  For
other species, additional information such as larval or life history
characteristics may be required for taxonomic discrimination. 
Molecular barcodes are critical for guiding the delineation of
morphologically similar species in this group.