Frédéric and Marie-Ka, together with Bérénice Lafon, spent 15 days in French Guiana at the Pasteur Institute in Cayenne with long-term collaborator Benoit de Thoisy. The main objective of the mission was to obtain a reference genome for the newly described armadillo species (Dasypus guianensis) using the paratype specimen preserved in the local JAGUARS collection (http://kwata.net/la-collection-jaguars-pour-l-etude-de-la-biodiversite.html). To this aim, we performed DNA extractions and Nanopore long read sequencing on site using two MinION-Mk1C portable sequencers. The ConvergeAnt team also attended the annual meeting of the Center for the Study of Biodiversity in Amazonia (CEBA) during which Frédéric presented Mathilde's PhD results on species delimitation in the long-nosed armadillo complex that led to the discovery of Dasypus guianensis. Finally, we had the opportunity to dissect another giant anteater specimen that was sampled for genome and transcriptome sequencing. As always, a very fruitful stay!
Barthe M., Rancilhac L., Arteaga M.-C., Tilak M.-K., Justy F., Loughry W.J., McDonough C.M., de Thoisy B., Catzeflis F., Billet G., Hautier L., Nabholz B. & Delsuc F.* (11-12 October 2023). Genome-wide species delimitation and the discovery of a new species of long-nosed armadillo in French Guiana. Annual Meeting of the Center for the Study of Biodiversity in Amazonia (Cayenne, French Guiana). [Oral communication]