De novo whole genome sequencing and assembly of the invasive cane toad, Rhinella marina

The cane toad (Rhinella marina) is a species native to Central and South American that has spread and expanded across the globe. Introduced to Australia in 1935 to control the cane beetle, this amphibian has become one of the world's most successful invasive species and now covers much of the northernmost part of the nation. Cane toads are known for their rapid environmental adaption, voracious appetite, and toxin production, which threaten the existence of other native species and cause detriment to the ecosystem. However, despite their iconic status, there are major gaps in our understanding of cane toad genetics. We have generated a draft genome assembly for R. marina, the first of its kind for the Bufonidae family, using a hybrid assembly of long read PacBio RS II and short read Illumina HiSeq X sequencing. The R. marina genome assembly will be an invaluable resource that can be used to further probe the biology of this invasive species.