Genome draft of the cave beetle Ptomaphagus hirtus

Requiring organisms to subsist without sunlight in the near absence of organic energy sources, caves represent some of the most extreme environments to adapt to. In animals, cave life is invariably characterized by a suite of dramatic adaptive traits, most prominently the loss of pigmentation and eyes, extreme lifespan extension, and the slowdown of reproductive rate. The sequencing of the Ptomaphagus hirtus genome will yield new insights into the genetic consequences of adapting to life in darkness.