Ten new reference genomes for wall lizards published

A major new genome release brings chromosome-level reference genomes to more than half of all described wall lizard species.

To systematically map the genetic diversity of a species, researchers need a stable point of reference. Reference genomes provide exactly that: a reliable “base map” of the genetic material that helps scientists identify differences and better trace evolutionary processes. The genomic exploration of wall lizards has reached an exciting new milestone. Together with Joana Meier and her team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and with the help of numerous collaborators who provided crucial samples, researchers from the Lise Meitner Group for Evolutionary Diversification and Innovation at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology have now released ten new chromosome-level reference genomes for wall lizards.

This achievement adds to an ongoing international effort that began in 2019, when the first high-quality reference genome for the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) was published (Andrade et al., PNAS). Since then, this genome has served as a foundational tool for countless studies — from uncovering the genetic basis of the nigriventris syndrome to tracing the complex evolutionary history of the Podarcis genus.

In recent years, several additional Podarcis species, including P. cretensis, P. raffonei, and P. lilfordi, have received their own reference genomes. With the latest release, the list has now expanded by ten species:
P. filfolensis, P. erhardii, P. pityusensis, P. gaigeae, P. melisellensis, P. bocagei, P. vaucheri, P. siculus, P. tiliguerta, and P. liolepis.

With this major step forward, more than half of all 28 currently described wall lizard species now have a reference genome at the chromosome level — a remarkable resource for evolutionary biologists around the world.

“Reference genomes are the backbone of modern evolutionary research,” says Dr. Nathalie Feiner, group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. “They enable us to understand how species diversify, adapt, and evolve — not only in wall lizards, but in ways that reveal broader patterns and processes across living organisms.”

For those interested in a deeper insight into how these genomes are put to use in evolutionary and population genomics, the team recommends their recent preprint:
“Population and Evolutionary Genomics of Lizards and Snakes”, which will appear as a chapter in the upcoming second edition of the book Statistical Population Genomics, edited by Julien Y. Dutheil.