A high quality de novo genome assembly for Clapper Rail (Rallus crepitans)

Rallids (Aves: Rallidae) include 37 genera and 159 globally distributed species that occur primarily in wetlands, jungle lowlands, and montane forests (Garcia–R et al. 2019, Winkler et al. 2020). Despite their global distribution, most rallid species remain poorly understood because of their secretive nature. The type genus <em>Rallus</em> includes thirteen species of slim bodied, long-billed rails that occur in the Americas, Eurasia, Africa, and Madagascar (Winkler et al. 2020). Clapper Rail (<em>Rallus crepitans</em>) and King Rail (<em>Rallus elegans</em>) are two closely related species that occur along the eastern coast of North America, south to the Caribbean (Figure 1; del Hoyo et al. 2016, Rush et al. 2020). Clapper and King rails are similar in plumage, vocalization, and morphology (Maley and Brumfield 2013), but they exhibit different habitat preferences for saltwater (Clapper Rail) and freshwater (King Rail) wetlands, although Clapper and King Rail populations hybridize where they co-occur in brackish marsh (Olson 1997, Maley 2012). To facilitate molecular investigations of the underlying mechanisms of saltwater tolerance and adaptive divergence between Clapper and King rail populations, we completed the first genome assembly for Clapper Rail using DNA from a vouchered, wild female bird collected in Louisiana.