Genomics of mimicry in Neotropical Corydoras catfishes

Mimetic relationships - where two or more species share colour patterns to reduce attacks by predators are some of the most powerful demonstrations of natural selection in nature. This project will investigate the genetic basis of traits involved in mimicry in freshwater Neotropical Corydoras catfishes. Corydoras catfishes are frequently involved in mimetic relationships with one another and a large diversity of colour patterns exist in nature which make them very popular aquarium fishes.

This project aims to investigate the genetic basis of coloration involved in mimicry and use a suite of genetic methods to identify signals of selection in the genomes of the different species. The project will use existing whole genome sequences and whole genome resequencing (WGS) coupled with bioinformatic analyses to identify genes associated with colour pattern mimicry in these fishes.