Xtremo-Devo Lab
Rio Pearlfish, Nematolebias whitei
Rio Pearlfish, are native to seasonal pools in the coastal plains near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they complete two life cycles per year. We sequenced a chromosome level genome of this "bi-annual" killifish species. Our model species represents an independent origin of annualism, different from other sequenced killifish models making Rio Pearlfish a powerful research organism to study convergent changes associated with dormancy and senescence in vertebrates.
Figure 1. Life cycle of the Rio Pearlfish, Nematolebias whitei, a bi-annual killifish from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Created with BioRender.com.
Above: Rio Pearlfish readily spawn in sand in the laboratory, making egg collection possible immediately after fertilization.