Data from: The spotted parrotfish genome provides evolutionary insight into the ecological adaptation of a keystone dietary specialist

With over 600 valid species, the wrasses (family Labridae) are among the
largest and most successful of the marine teleosts. They feature
prominently on coral reefs where they are known not only for their
impressive diversity in colouration and form, but also in their functional
specialization and ability to occupy a wide variety of trophic guilds.
Among the wrasses, the parrotfishes (tribe Scarini) display some one of
the most dramatic examples of trophic specialization. Using
abrasion-resistant biomineralized teeth, parrotfishes are able to
mechanically extract protein-rich micro-photoautotrophs growing in and
amongst reef carbonate material, a dietary niche that is inaccessible to
most other teleost fishes. This ability to exploit an otherwise untapped
trophic resource is thought to have played a role in the diversification
and evolutionary success of the parrotfishes. In order to better
understand the key evolutionary innovations leading to the success of
these dietary specialists, we sequenced and analysed the genome of a
representative species, the spotted parrotfish (Cetoscarus ocellatus). We
find significant expansion, selection, and duplication within several
detoxification gene families and a novel poly-glutamine expansion in the
enamel protein ameloblastin, and we consider their evolutionary
implications. Our genome provides a useful resource for comparative
genomic studies investigating the evolutionary history of this highly
specialized teleostean radiation.