A chromosome-level genome assembly of Gray's grenadier anchovy, Coilia grayii

Gray's grenadier anchovy, Coilia grayii, is an important anadromous fish species with economic value in near ocean ecosystems. Despite its significance, the lack of genomic resources has constrained our understanding of its genetic foundation, phylogenetic relationships, and adaptive evolution strategies. In this study, we assembled a chromosome-level reference genome for C. grayii by integrating PacBio HiFi long-reads, MGI short-reads, and Hi-C sequencing data. The resulting genome is 920.64 Mb in size, with a contig N50 of 36.45 Mb. The genome contains 324.19 Mb of repetitive sequences, and 29,496 protein-coding genes were predicted, with 29,395 functionally annotated. BUSCO analysis revealed that 95.2% of the 3,640 benchmarking genes were complete, underscoring the high quality of the assembly. This high-quality genome will provide crucial insights into the phylogeny, evolutionary history, and genetic basis of adaptive traits in Coilia species.