A Haplotype-resolved Chromosome-scale Genome Assembly and Annotation for the Leafcutter Ant, Acromyrmex octospinosus.

ABSTRACT: Leafcutter ants are ecologically important insects that cultivate fungal gardens for sustenance, playing crucial roles in Neotropical ecosystems. Due to their ecological and evolutionary significance, high-quality genomic assemblies for the species in this fascinating group can provide a foundation for understanding their evolution. Here, we present a chromosome-scale, haplotype-resolved genome assembly for Acromyrmex octospinosus, a common leafcutter ant species broadly distributed in the Neotropics. Using PacBio HiFi sequencing (99x coverage) and Hi-C scaffolding (51x coverage), we generated both haplotype-resolved assemblies (312-314 Mb) and a haplotype-collapsed assembly (320 Mb), each containing 19 chromosomes. One hundred percent of the assembly is anchored to chromosome-level scaffo

SUBMITTER: Agavekar G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11926981 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature