Genomic resources and toolkits for developmental study of whip spiders (Amblypygi) provide insights into arachnid genome evolution and antenniform leg patterning.

This study is the first step in establishing P. marginemaculatus as a chelicerate model for modern evolutionary developmental study, and provides the first resources sampling whip spiders for comparative genomics. Our results suggest that Amblypygi share a genome duplication with spiders and scorpions, and set up a framework to study the genetic specification of antenniform legs. Future efforts to study whip spider development must emphasize the development of tools for functional experiments in P. marginemaculatus.