A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Antheraea pernyi (Saturniidae, Lepidoptera)

Antheraea pernyi is a semi-domesticated lepidopteran insect species valuable to the silk industry, human health, and ecological tourism. Owing to its economic influence and developmental properties, it serves as an ideal model for investigating divergence of the Bombycoidea super family. However, studies on the karyotype evolution and functional genomics of A. pernyi are limited by scarce genomic resource. Here, we applied PacBio sequencing and chromosome structure capture technique to assemble the first high-quality A. pernyi genome from a single male individual. The genome is 720.67 Mb long with 49 chromosomes and a 13.77-Mb scaffold N50. Approximately 441.75 Mb, accounting for 60.74% of the genome, was identified as repeats. The genome comprises 21,431 protein-coding genes, 85.22% of which were functionally annotated. Comparative genomics analysis suggested that A. pernyi diverged from its common ancestor with A. yamamai ~30.3 million years ago, and that chromosome fission contributed to the increased chromosome number. The genome assembled in this work will not only facilitate future research on A. pernyi and related species but also help to progress comparative genomics analyses in Lepidoptera.