Stylochus strain:S. ellipticus and S. zebra Genome sequencing. Stylochus strain:S. ellipticus and S. zebra

Stylochus ellipticus, a polyclad turbellarian (Platyhelminthes) is a predator of oysters and other mollusks in Chesapeake Bay. Aquaculturists in mid-Atlantic and northeast coastal states consider S. ellipticus to be a scourge because when this predator invades upwellers, it can rapidly cause 30-100% mortality of oysters up to 1cm in length. Campbell et al. (2011) indicated that poor wild oyster set on substrates suspended in Chesapeake Bay tributaries may be linked to the timing and presence of S. ellipticus. Until that report, little attention was given to the distribution of S. ellipticus in the water column as this predator was thought to be primarily restricted to benthic habitats within Chesapeake Bay tributaries. new data indicate that S. ellipticus are very much present in the water column and not restricted to the benthos as previously assumed. Prior to this study there were no Genbank accessions for S. ellipticus. This study provides sequence of the 18S rDNA gene, microsatellite markers, a draft of the complete mitochondrial genome (roughly 15,200 bp in length), three S. ellipticus metagenomes, and a comparative S. zebra metagenome.