Sclerodactyla briareus isolate:Commercial purchase from MarineBiological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA, USA). Genome sequencing and assembly. Sclerodactyla briareus isolate:Commercial purchase from MarineBiological Laboratory (Woods Hole, MA, USA).

Sclerodactyla briareus, formerly known as Thyone briareus, is a species of highly regenerative sea cucumbers; often found in Nova Scotia south along US Atlantic coast to Gulf coast of Texas. They enjoy muddy localities and mostly buried with eelgrass. Their color vary from green or brown to almost black. Its common name, hairy sea cucumber, comes from the hair-like epidermal structures scattered over its entire body. Their barrel-shaped body of up to 120 mm in length has a burrowing phenotype, tapering only at the anterior and posterior extremes.The capacity of this species to quickly regenerate the anterior end of the body,digestive tube, and gonad provides an opportunity to study regeneration. Sclerodactyla briareus can autotomize and completely regenerate the entire anterior end of the body. The anterior end of Sclerodactyla briareus contains several vital organs, including the feeding tentacles, pharynx, and components of the central nervous system. Thus, they provide an opportunity to investigate anterior regeneration. The genome assembly will help in identifying the down- stream genes controlled by Notch and Wnt signaling pathways, essential for tissue regeneration in echinoderms.