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Group:
Reptile
Estimated genome size:
17 cm maximum (total body length).
Size:
17 cm maximum (total body length).
Distribution:
It is found in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Western Cape and Northern Cape
provinces of South Africa.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
89.36 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
6.51 kilobases
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Genome Length:
4.53 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
99.6% [Single: 50.6%, Duplicated: 49%]
Importance:
The greater padloper tortoise is endemic to South Africa and contributes to ecosystem stability in the Karoo. As the largest species in the genus Homopus, it is of scientific interest for studies of limb development, as it is one of only two Homopus species with four digits on each foot.
Sample Contributor contact details:
Zhongning Zhao
University of the Free State
Group:
Eudicot
Estimated genome size:
Size:
15-25 meters (height)
Distribution:
They are found in the Western Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
82.2 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
19.85 kilobases
Assembly N50:
361.27 kilobases
Contig number:
6 580
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
Flye
Genome Length:
0.66 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
98.1% [S: 37.6%, D: 60.5%]
BUSCO database:
viridiplantae
Vachellia xanthophloea
Fever tree
Importance:
This indigenous tree species is important due to its resistance to the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB), as recognised in the 2023 FABI replant list. Sequencing its genome could reveal the mechanisms underlying this resistance, inform conservation strategies, and contribute to understanding PSHB risk to South African tree biodiversity.
Date Published:
2026-04-24
Photo credit:
© S. Tonge
Flora
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