Abstract
ABSTRACT The rose-grain aphid Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker) and
the greenbug Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) (Hemiptera:
Aphididae), are two destructive aphid pests for cereals worldwide. Some
studies have examined the biological and ecological characteristics of
these two aphid species, however, the lack of genomic data limits
in-depth studies of these two organisms. Here, we present the
chromosome-level genome assemblies of M. dirhodum and S.
graminum using PacBio long HiFi reads and Hi-C technology. The final
genome assembly for M. dirhodum is 447.8 Mb, with 98.50% of the
assembled sequences anchored to nine chromosomes. The contig and
scaffold N50 values are 7.82 Mb and 37.54 Mb, respectively. A total of
18,003 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 92.05% were
functionally annotated. The final genome assembly for S. graminum
is 476.1 Mb, with 99.08% of the assembled sequences anchored to six
chromosomes. The contig and scaffold N50 values are 21.59 Mb and 99.65
Mb, respectively. A total of 24,368 protein-coding genes were predicted,
of which 94.21% were functionally annotated. Comparative transcriptomic
analyses identified a number of genes that might be related to wing
dimorphism in M. dirhodum, including the insulin receptor,
insulin receptor substrate, forkhead box protein O (Foxo), and ecdysone
receptor. These results may provide important references for
understanding the ecology, genetics, and evolution of these two
organisms or even other aphid insects.