2.1 Sample collection
‘AdamAnt’, an adult male yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus
flavipes ) was sampled in Samford Valley (greater Brisbane), QLD,
Australia (27° 22′ S, 152° 52′ E) in September 2018. A second male
individual (‘Ant2’), sampled at the same location in 2017, was not used
for genome assembly but employed in demographic analysis. Animals were
euthanised by inhalation of CO2. Once death was
confirmed, animals were placed directly on dry ice in the field and
transferred to a -80 °C freezer for later dissection. Tissue specimens
for short-insert whole-genome sequencing were obtained from the
black-tailed dusky antechinus A. arktos (ear tissue; Lamington
National Park, QLD, Australia, 28° 22′ S, 153° 15′ E; specimen AA100
sampled by A.M.B. in 2015), the silver-headed antechinus A.
argentus (ear tissue; from Blackdown Tableland National Park, QLD,
Australia; 23° 82′ S, 149° 07′ E; specimen BD-17-5A sampled by A.M.B. in
2017), and the black-tailed dasyure (Murexia melanurus ; liver
tissue; Wau, Morobe, Papua New Guinea, 7° 20′ S, 146° 42′ E; specimen
ABTC46020 sampled by the South Australian Museum in 1985). All DNA and
RNA were extracted by BGI Hong Kong.