A near telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of Pterocryptis cochinchinensis

Pterocryptis cochinchinensis is a small freshwater catfish distributed across the Southeast Asia and southern China. It plays an important role in maintaining inland aquatic biodiversity and serves as a valuable model for phylogeographic research. However, its genomic resources are still limited. Here, we report a near-complete telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of P. cochinchinensis, generated by combining MGI short reads (40.6 Gb), PacBio HiFi reads (51.9 Gb), Oxford Nanopore ultra-long reads (15.0 Gb), and Hi-C data (88.8 Gb). The final assembly spans 931.7 Mb, with a contig N50 of 31.4 Mb, and was anchored onto 28 chromosomes. Repetitive sequences account for 46.9% of its genome, and 31,353 protein-coding genes were annotated. BUSCO assessment indicated a genome completeness of 96.7%. This high-quality reference genome will represent a valuable resource for conservation genetics, aquaculture improvement, and comparative genomics within Pterocryptis, contributing to biodiversity preservation and the sustainable utilization of freshwater fish resources.