Ignoble purrsuits

Frustratingly few people know about fishers (Pekania pennanti). This cat-sized North American mustelid used to be classified in the genus Martes, but never quite fit in. The fisher used to inhabit the whole boreal forest belt of North America, but their populations began to decline in the first half of the 20th century due to a combination of overtrapping for their fur, and timber logging, which shrunk and fragmented its range. In fact, the fisher was nearly exterminated from the southern and eastern part of its range. However, thanks to conservation efforts and sustainable trapping management, fishers are making a splendid comeback in many states, lifting it out of many local endangered species lists (and even eating unsupervised pet cats as they proceed).

US Forest Service [CC BY 2.0 DEED], via flickr.com

While sharing the range, habitat and many dietary and behavioral traits with true martens such as the American marten (Martes americana) and Pacific marten (Martes caurina), the fisher is a bigger, burlier animal with a longer tail, coarser fur and heavier head; it oddly resembles a fuzzy otter with a bear’s head. Not only its looks are confusing. Fishers may look a bit clumsy, yet they are excellent tree climbers and are among the very few mammals able to descend trees head-first. Their climbing abilities are facilitated by being able to rotate their hind paws nearly 180°. Fishers are considered omnivorous, but their primary prey are snowshoe hares and North American porcupines (one of the very few predators known to hunt this species). Fishers have even been documented to be predators of Canada lynx! Fishers are sexually dimorphic, with males larger than females, and they are mostly solitary except during the mating season. Like some other carnivoran species, female fishers show embryonic diapause (also known as delayed implantation).

Even their name is misleading – fishers do not catch fish! The name is in fact a corruption of the word “fitch”, which is an old-fashioned term for the European polecat; the word “fitch”, in turn, goes back to Late Latin vissiō "foul smell from a noiseless fart". So much for nomenclatural dignity! The lasting taxonomic hassle among scholars, bouncing the fisher between different genera, was finally settled in 2008, when the fisher got assigned a genus of its own, Pekania, as one of the earliest branching lineages of the Guloninae clade, just like its similarly-sized South American relative, the tayra (Eira barbara).

Today, we release the chormosome-length genome assembly for the fisher, generated from a sample shared by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. We acknowledge Timothy Watson for providing fisher samples for sequencing and Roger Powell for making this genome assembly possible. Check out the interactive contact map below!

Periodical cicadas – insects that count

If you live in the eastern United States, chances are your ears have come in contact with some really loud, recklessly theatrical insects that always make their presence known. These raucous insects are periodical cicadas, and they have a strict party schedule -- they develop underground for thirteen or seventeen years and then emerge in the spring for large parties composed of billions of individuals. The intensity of the bedlam is due to the males exercising their powerful tymbals (drum-like membranes that vibrate to produce sound) to best their competitors in hopes of attracting a mate.

Magicicada septendecula. Photo by Chris Simon

While the cacophony may sound like a single unified group to the untrained ear, this tymbalic chorus is often composed of multiple species with distinct songs designed to only attract females of the same species. For example, the most recent large emergence (Brood X -- pronounced Brood Ten) was composed of three species, all in the genus Magicicada: M. septendecim, M. cassinii, and M. septendecula. The naturalist who named them truly believed they were “magic cicadas”!

These insects use accumulated soil temperature to determine the day of the party so that they do not arrive unfashionably early and become the dinner rather than the guests. The trick is to arrive not too early but not too late. Soil temperature determines the day of emergence but not the year. It’s important for researchers to understand how Magicicada keep track of years and how climate change may impact the timing of emergence because the dramatic pulses of insect biomass have profound effects on many members of the ecosystem!

One thing that makes periodical cicadas even more interesting is that the evolutionary history of these boisterous insects remains a mystery. Scientists are really not sure when, where, why, or how these large synchronous emergences started, how the original population was broken up into year-classes (broods) that fit together like a jig-saw puzzle, or why substantial proportions of individual populations sometimes come out in large numbers four-years early or four-years late.

A group of Magicicada (Tymbalic symphony not included), photo courtesy of Chris Simon

We hypothesize that the answer may be found through comparative studies of their genomes or external modifications to their genomes. Here we share the first chromosome-level genome assembly for one of the Brood X species, Magicicada septendecula. The first draft genome was assembled with work from Jonas Bush, Paul Frandsen, Chris Simon, and Ed Wilcox at BYU, using flash-frozen cicadas and four PacBio SMRT II cells. We improved it here using Hi-C data from a single M. septendecula adult. Annotation was carried out by Jill Wegrzyn and Cynthia Webster. We are grateful for funding from the BYU College of Life Sciences Undergraduate Research Award, which made this project possible, as well as several research awards from the National Science Foundation to Frandsen, Simon, and Wegrzyn. A genome report has been submitted for publication.

Check out the interactive contact map of the M. septendecula chromosomes below, and visit the genome assembly page for more details!

The Spectacled Hare-Wallaby: Nature's Cutest Eyewear Enthusiast

Today, we're diving into the enchanting world of the West Australian local eyewear icon - Spectacled Hare-Wallaby, scientifically known as Lagorchestes conspicillatus, a real spectacle to behold… if you can spot them!

The Spectacled Hare-Wallaby is a small marsupial that hails from the land Down Under – Australia. It's part of the Macropodidae family, which means it's a distant cousin of kangaroos and wallabies, but with a dash of cuteness that's uniquely its own.

Photo Description – Spectacled hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) Photo Credits and acknowledgements – https://animals.fandom.com/wiki/Spectacled_Hare-wallaby

Specs-tacular Style

First things first, let's address the elephant in the room – those captivating "spectacles" that have earned this critter its name. Imagine a pair of oversized round glasses that would make Harry Potter jealous – that's what the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby's facial markings look like. These spectacles aren't just a fashion statement; they serve a purpose too! They might help reduce glare from the sun or act as a warning to potential predators, saying, "Don't mess with this adorable marsupial!"

Pocket-Sized Joy

The Spectacled Hare-Wallaby is a petite marsupial, measuring just around 30-45 centimeters in length, excluding its tail, which is about the same length as its body. This small stature makes it one of the tiniest members of the Macropodidae family. But don't let its size fool you – this little furball is packed with personality!

Hop to It!

Like its kangaroo and wallaby relatives, the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby is an accomplished hopper. These adorable creatures can bound at high speeds, covering impressive distances in their quest for food. Their hind legs are muscular and built for hopping, which also helps them evade potential threats with their agile movements.

Herbivore with a Sweet Tooth

Despite their small size, these marsupials have big appetites, especially when it comes to their favourite foods – grasses and herbs. They have a sweet tooth for succulent plants and can often be found nibbling away happily. Just imagine a mini lawnmower prancing around the Australian grasslands!

Superpower and Fun Fact

Brace yourselves for this mind-boggling tidbit! The Spectacled Hare-Wallaby boasts the world's most efficient kidneys and holds the record for the lowest rate of water turnover among all mammals. In simpler terms, they're like the water-saving champions of the animal kingdom. Even in scorching temperatures soaring past 40°C, they don't need to sip from the water cooler – they're experts at conserving water!

A Hare-raising Lifestyle

Spectacled Hare-Wallabies are typically solitary creatures, but they do come together occasionally for social interactions or, more importantly, to mate. Their reproductive habits are quite fascinating. They can enter a state of torpor, a kind of hibernation, during the hot and dry months to conserve energy. When conditions improve, they "hop" back to life and resume their activities.

Home Territory and Range

Northern Australia and stretching from Western Australia (including the stunning Barrow Island) all the way to Queensland.

Conservation Standing

Globally, they've earned the title of "IUCN Least Concern," but it's not all smooth sailing. The population on Barrow Island (WA) is facing some challenges and is listed as "Vulnerable."

Conservation Challenges

While these furry critters may seem like they're straight out of a fairy tale, their story is not without its challenges. Like many of Australia's unique wildlife species, the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby faces threats from habitat loss and introduced predators. Conservation efforts are in place to protect these delightful creatures and ensure their continued survival.

This resilient species has defied the odds, emerging as the last surviving member of its genus, Lagorchestes, in mainland Australia. But how has this tenacious creature managed to endure in the face of formidable challenges, including habitat destruction and the relentless predation by feral cats and foxes? In a world where similar species like the Central Hare-Wallaby, Desert Bandicoot, and Crescent Nailtail Wallaby have succumbed to these pressures, the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby stands as a remarkable anomaly.

Despite its captivating story, this marsupial has largely remained overshadowed by more well-known macropods like its closest relative, the Rufous Hare-Wallaby, or the iconic Quokka. So, what do we know about this enigmatic species? For one, it's exceptionally cryptic, rarely glimpsed in the wild, and was even declared extinct in Broome, Western Australia, for an astonishing 13 years (2004 to 2017) before its remarkable rediscovery. Moreover, it's among the most resilient mammals in arid regions, capable of surviving without access to free water, even in blistering temperatures exceeding 40°C.

Yet, these intriguing traits alone don't fully explain how the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby has managed to navigate a perilous landscape fraught with countless threats. Adding another layer of mystery, a solitary specimen was recorded in Papua New Guinea in 1997, sparking questions about the possibility of an additional population or even another subspecies. Regrettably, subsequent evidence has remained elusive.

The species' survival, once seemingly promising, is now cast in doubt. It's possible that the Spectacled Hare-Wallaby's inconspicuous "widespread distribution" has concealed alarmingly low detection rates, potentially leading to its oversight. Speculation even suggests that the species may be on the brink of extinction in certain Western Australian regions, particularly the Pilbara, where sightings have dwindled to near nonexistence since 1990. Given that the last comprehensive distribution study dates back to 1991 (a staggering 32 years ago!), it's evident that fresh research is urgently needed. Nevertheless, in parts of the Northern Territory and Queensland, the species may maintain more stable numbers, offering a glimmer of hope for its continued existence.

Could this elusive species hold invaluable survival lessons that might aid the conservation of more endangered counterparts? This enigmatic creature unquestionably merits increased attention. What better tribute than making it the inaugural Genome Assembly release for the WA Genome Atlas initiative, generously supported by Lotterywest, recognising its significance in biodiversity conservation?

The genome assembly shared today was generated using a tissue sample of a roadkill from Barrow Island (Western Australia) provided by Dr Natasha Tay, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University and a draft generated with short-insert size Illumina reads [634,107,482 PE reads] and scaffolded to chromosome length genome with Hi-C [578,744,677 PE reads]. See the Methods page for more detail on the procedure. The interactive contact map of the chromosomes is included below.

This work has been enabled and conducted under Western Australian Genome Atlas (WAGA) initiative generously funded through Lotterywest. Our sincere thanks to the Lotterywest for their ongoing support through funding the WA Genome Atlas initiative and to the collective expertise and support of our WA partner organisations. This year, Lotterywest is celebrating 90 years of being part of the Western Australian community. As the only Government owned and operated lottery in Australia where all available profits are returned directly to the community in the form grants, Lotterywest has played a pivotal role in helping Western Australia to grow and turn dreams into reality.