Genome of the bi-annual Rio Pearlfish (Nematolebias whitei), a killifish model species for Eco-Evo-Devo

The Rio Pearlfish Nematolebias whitei is a bi-annual killifish species inhabiting seasonal pools of the Rio de Janeiro region that dry twice per year. Embryos enter dormant diapause stages in the soil, waiting for the inundation of the habitat which triggers hatching and commencement of a new life cycle. This species represents a convergent, independent origin of annualism from other emerging killifish model species. While some transcriptomic datasets are available for Rio Pearlfish, thus far a sequenced genome has been unavailable. Here we present a high quality, 1.2Gb chromosome-level genome assembly, genome annotations and a comparative genomic investigation of the Rio Pearlfish as representative of a vertebrate clade that evolved environmentally-cued hatching. We show conservation of 3-D genome structure across teleost fish evolution, developmental stages, tissues and cell types. Our analysis of mobile DNA shows that Rio Pearlfish, like other annual killifishes, possesses an expanded transposable element profile with implications for rapid aging and adaptation to harsh conditions. We use the Rio Pearlfish genome to identify its hatching enzyme gene repertoire and the location of the hatching gland, a key first step in understanding the developmental genetic control of hatching. The Rio Pearlfish genome expands the comparative genomic toolkit available to study convergent origins of seasonal life histories, diapause, and rapid aging phenotypes. We present the first set of genomic resources for this emerging model organism, critical for future functional genetic and multi-omic explorations of “Eco-Evo-Devo” phenotypes in resilience and adaptation to extreme environments. Significance: Seasonal or annual killifishes are emerging models for aging, life history adaptions to extreme environments, and ecological evolutionary developmental biology (Eco-Evo-Devo). Most studies have thus far focused on the African turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri and the South American Austrofundulus limneaus. We sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Rio Pearlfish Nematolebias whitei from the Rio de Janeiro region, a seasonal species representing a convergent origin of seasonality from other sequenced killifish species, strengthening the comparative potential of Aplocheiloid killifishes as a model clade for the comparative and functional genomics of animal resilience to environmental change.