title: Extremely small genomes in two unrelated dipteran insects with shared early developmental traits.
abstract: We discovered extremely small genomes (1C ~100 Mb) in the dipteran insects Coboldia fuscipes (Scatopsidae) and Psychoda cinerea (Psychodidae). The small genomes of these species cannot be explained by a fast developmental rate, which has been shown to correlate with small genome sizes in animals and plants but might accommodate the combined effects of other developmental traits, including small egg size, thin blastoderm layer, and long-germ development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, CLSC 921B, 920 E. 58th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA. uschmid@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt-Ott
authors.forename: Ab Matteen
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rafiqi
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: J Spencer
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004175:Diptera / Q000145:classification / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D049750:Genome, Insect; D008297:Male