Besides all being cnidarians, theses species now have their complete chromosomal-level nuclear genome sequences fully available. As part of the Aquatic Symbiosis Genome (ASG) Project , this group of marine invertebrate genomes have been published. A massive collaborative effort via the ASG helped form a hub of diverse scientists interested in photosymbiosis, including colleagues from NSU (Abby Renegar), University of Puerto Rico (Nick Schizas), Florida International University (Anthony Bellantuono), UCLA (Monica Medina, Elizabeth Boville), and the sequencing team at Wellcome Sanger Institute among others. After three years, the whole genomes of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana, Fire coral Millepora alcicornis, and Blushing star coral Stephanocoenia intersepta have now been sequenced and published as part of the ASG. We are especially happy to see the Boulder star coral, Orbicella franksi among this group of new genomes, since this species has long been a focus of scleractinian research in the Caribbean and Western Atlantic for decades and is part of the Orbicella annularis sibling species complex. Thanks again to all of our colleagues for making this possible.
