Work

ERGA-BGE genome of Leiobunum subalpinum - a montane-subalpine harvestman species endemic to the eastern Alps

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Leiobunum subalpinum is a medium-sized, long-legged harvestman inhabiting montane to subalpine habitats in the eastern Austrian Alps and the neighbouring eastern Alps in Slovenia. The species is caldophilus and hygrophilus, occurring primarily in forested and rocky habitats, especially on siliceous rock faces on southern mountain slopes. As a result of its high susceptibility even to minor microclimatic variation, L. subalpinum may serve as an important indicator species of montane–subalpine ecosystem conditions. Moreover, as the species is restricted to a narrow geographical and altitudinal range, it represents an important regional biodiversity element and a relevant species for prioritizing the conservation of high-altitude habitats. The reference genome of L. subalpinum provides a crucial resource for uncovering the genetic differences between this species and the morphologically similar congener L. rupestre. The entirety of the genome sequence was assembled into 11 contiguous chromosomal pseudomolecules. This chromosome-level assembly encompasses 0.58 Gb, composed of 265 contigs and 44 scaffolds, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 5.2 Mb and 52.6 Mb, respectively.

Source: Open Research Europe

DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.21990.1