This page provides an up to the minute summary of data currently available in the database. Parameters reported include minimum and maximum reported genomes sizes (in picograms), mean genomes sizes with standard error (SE), total number of species assayed, and the methods, cell types, and standards used for all available records. Note that the statistics reported here are based on all records in the database -- for maximum reliability, you are encouraged to evaluate the data for your particular group of interest directly. Note also that these C-value summaries do not currently account for instances of polyploidy (though this will be updated in the future).
Because these statistics refer to the database as a whole, they must be cited as follows if used in a publication:
- Gregory, T.R. (2005). Animal Genome Size Database. http://www.genomesize.com.
Please select your group of interest from the list:
- Entire Database (i.e., all animals)
- All Chordates | Amphibians | Birds | Fishes | Mammals | Reptiles
- All Invertebrates | Annelids | Arachnids | Crustaceans | Echinoderms | Flatworms | Insects | Molluscs | Nematodes
- Methods, Cell Types, and Standard Species
(Other invertebrate groups are insufficiently represented for summary stats)
All Chordates
| Number of non-vertebrate chordates: | 5 |
| Smallest non-vertebrate chordate genome size: | 0.06pg, Phallusia mammillata, Sea squirt |
| Largest non-vertebrate chordate genome size: | 0.59pg, Branchiostoma lanceolatum, Lancelet |
| Number of vertebrates: | 3226 |
| Smallest vertebrate genome size: | 0.35pg, Tetraodon fluviatilis, Green pufferfish |
| Largest vertebrate genome size: | 132.83pg, Protopterus aethiopicus, Marbled lungfish |
Summary of Methods, Cell Types, and Standard Species for All Chordates
Methods (code)
| Biochemical Analysis (BCA) | 89 | 1.96% |
| Bulk Fluorometric Assay (BFA) | 322 | 7.10% |
| Feulgen Densitometry (FD) | 1831 | 40.36% |
| Feulgen Image Analysis Densitometry (FIA) | 769 | 16.95% |
| Flow Cytometry (FCM) | 1193 | 26.29% |
| Gallocyanin Chrom Alum Densitometry (GCD) | 11 | 0.24% |
| Not Specified (NS) | 41 | 0.90% |
| Static Cell Fluorometry (SCF) | 269 | 5.93% |
| Ultraviolet Microscopy (UVM) | 12 | 0.26% |
Cell Types (code)
| Brain (BR) | 22 | 0.47% |
| Buccal epithelium (BE) | 1 | 0.02% |
| Corneal epithelium (CE) | 9 | 0.19% |
| Dorsal fin clip (FC) | 14 | 0.30% |
| Epidermis (EP) | 19 | 0.41% |
| Fibroblasts (FB) | 4 | 0.09% |
| Haemocytes (HE) | 1 | 0.02% |
| Heart cells (HC) | 3 | 0.06% |
| Kidney cells (KC) | 93 | 2.01% |
| Leukocytes (LK) | 331 | 7.14% |
| Liver (LV) | 287 | 6.19% |
| Lung (culture) (LG) | 32 | 0.69% |
| Not specified (NS) | 56 | 1.21% |
| Oocytes (OC) | 2 | 0.04% |
| Pancreas (P) | 2 | 0.04% |
| Pharynx (PH) | 2 | 0.04% |
| Red blood cells (RBC) | 3579 | 77.20% |
| Retinal cells (RC) | 3 | 0.06% |
| Sperm (S) | 51 | 1.10% |
| Spleen (SP) | 92 | 1.98% |
| Testes (TS) | 13 | 0.28% |
| Thymus (TH) | 4 | 0.09% |
| Tissue Culture (TC) | 15 | 0.32% |
| Various (V) | 1 | 0.02% |
Standard Species (code, C-value)
| Acipenser ruthenus (AR, 1.90pg) | 9 | 0.12% |
| Ambystoma jeffersonianum (AJ, 28.80pg) | 20 | 0.27% |
| Ambystoma laterale (AL, 29.20pg) | 52 | 0.71% |
| Aneides lugubris (ANL, 45.10pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Betta splendens (BS, 0.64pg) | 520 | 7.13% |
| Bos taurus (BO, 3.70pg) | 48 | 0.66% |
| Bufo bufo (BB, 6.00pg) | 2 | 0.03% |
| Bufo fowleri (BF, 5.10pg) | 32 | 0.44% |
| Bufo ictericus (BI, 2.90pg) | 14 | 0.19% |
| Bufo marinus (BM, 4.00pg) | 16 | 0.22% |
| Bufo paracnemis (BP, 3.30pg) | 34 | 0.47% |
| Bufo terrestris (BT, 5.00pg) | 33 | 0.45% |
| Carassius auratus (CA, 1.75pg) | 26 | 0.36% |
| Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO, 3.10pg) | 3 | 0.04% |
| Ciona intestinalis (CI, 0.20pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Cricetus cricetus (CCR, 3.50pg) | 10 | 0.14% |
| Cyprinus carpio (CP, 1.70pg) | 214 | 2.94% |
| Drosophila melanogaster (DM, 0.18pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Felis catus (FC, 2.90pg) | 6 | 0.08% |
| Gallus domesticus (GD, 1.25pg) | 1719 | 23.58% |
| Ginglymostoma cirratum (GC, 3.90pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Homo sapiens (HS, 3.50pg) | 1242 | 17.04% |
| Ictalurus punctatus (IP, 1.00pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Microtus agrestis (MA, 3.40pg) | 11 | 0.15% |
| Mus musculus (MM, 3.30pg) | 347 | 4.76% |
| Mytilus galloprovincialis (MGP, 1.92pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Myxine garmani (MG, 4.60pg) | 7 | 0.10% |
| Not specified | 106 | 1.45% |
| Oncorhynchus mykiss (OM, 2.60pg) | 755 | 10.36% |
| Plethodon cinereus (PC, 23.10pg) | 19 | 0.26% |
| Pleurodeles waltl (PW, 22.60pg) | 60 | 0.82% |
| Podarcus sicula (PS, 2.20pg) | 82 | 1.12% |
| Rana esculenta (RE, 6.00pg) | 134 | 1.84% |
| Rana pipiens (RP, 6.70pg) | 661 | 9.07% |
| Rana temporaria (RT, 4.30pg) | 172 | 2.36% |
| Rattus norvegicus (RN, 3.10pg) | 16 | 0.22% |
| Salmo salar (SA, 3.00pg) | 1 | 0.01% |
| Scyliorhinus canicula (SC, 5.70pg) | 46 | 0.63% |
| Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (SP, 0.89pg) | 322 | 4.42% |
| Sus scrofa (SS, 3.20pg) | 45 | 0.62% |
| Thymallus thymallus (TH, 2.15pg) | 9 | 0.12% |
| Tinca tinca (TT, 1.00pg) | 4 | 0.05% |
| Various | 294 | 4.03% |
| Xenopus laevis (XL, 3.15pg) | 192 | 2.63% |