First draft genome for the sand-hopper Trinorchestia longiramus

Crustacean
amphipods are important trophic links between primary producers and higher
consumers. Although most amphipods occur in or around aquatic environments, the
family Talitridae is the only family found in terrestrial and semi-terrestrial
habitats. The sand-hopper Trinorchestia
longiramus is a talitrid species often found in the sandy beaches of South
Korea. In this study, we present the first draft genome assembly and annotation
of this species. We generated ~380.3 Gb of sequencing data assembled in a
0.89 Gb draft genome. Annotation analysis estimated 26,080 protein-coding
genes, with 89.9% genome completeness. Comparison with other amphipods showed
that T. longiramus has 327 unique orthologous gene clusters, many of
which are expanded gene families responsible for cellular transport of toxic
substances, homeostatic processes, and ionic and osmotic stress tolerance. This
first talitrid genome will be useful for further understanding the mechanisms
of adaptation in terrestrial environments, the effects of heavy metal toxicity,
as well as for studies of comparative genomic variation across amphipods.