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Chromosome-level genome assembly of the sweet potato weevil, Cylas formicarius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Brentidae)
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  • Jinfeng Hua,
  • Lei Zhang,
  • Yonghua Han ,
  • Xiaowan Gou,
  • Huifeng Li,
  • Yongmei Huang,
  • Yanqing Li,
  • Tianyuan Chen,
  • Daifu Ma,
  • Zongyun Li
Jinfeng Hua
School of Life Sciences Jiangsu Normal University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Lei Zhang
School of Life Sciences Jiangsu Normal University
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Yonghua Han
Institute of Integrative Plant Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics & Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University
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Xiaowan Gou
School of Life Sciences Jiangsu Normal University
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Huifeng Li
Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences
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Yongmei Huang
Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences
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Yanqing Li
Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences
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Tianyuan Chen
Maize Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences
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Daifu Ma
Xuzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Sweet Potato Research Institute, CAAS
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Zongyun Li
School of Life Sciences Jiangsu Normal University
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Abstract

Cylas formicarius is one of the most important pests of sweet potato worldwide, causing considerable ecological and economic damage. To improve the effect of comprehensive management and understanding of genetic mechanisms, the genetic functions of C. formicarius have been the subject of intensive study. Using Illumina and PacBio sequencing, we obtained a chromosome-level genome assembly of adult weevils from lines inbred for 15 generations. The high-quality assembly obtained had a size of 338.84 Mb, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 14.97 Mb and 34.23 Mb, respectively. In total, 157.51 Mb of repeat sequences and 11,907 protein-coding genes were predicted. A total of 337.06 Mb of genomic sequences was located on the 11 chromosomes, and the sequence length that could be used to determine the sequence and direction accounted for 99.03% of the total length of the associated chromosome. Comparative genomic analysis showed that C. formicarius was sister to Dendroctonus ponderosae, and C. formicarius diverged from D. ponderosae approximately 138.89 million years ago (Mya). Many important gene families that were expanded in the C. formicarius genome were involved in detoxification of pesticides, tolerance to cold stress and chemosensory system. In an in-depth study, the binding assay results indicated that CforOBP4-6 had strong binding affinities for sex pheromones and other ligands. Overall, the high-quality C. formicarius genome provides a valuable resource to reveal the molecular ecological basis, genetic mechanism, evolutionary process of major agricultural pests, new ideas and new technologies for ecologically sustainable pest control.