Chromosome-Level Assembly and Annotation of the Endangered Red-Wing Fish (Distoechodon macrophthalmus)

Background/Objectives: The red-wing fish (Distoechodon macrophthalmus), an endangered species native to Yunnan, is endemic to Chenghai Lake. The natural population of this species has suffered a sharp decline due to the invasion of alien fish species. Fortunately, the artificial domestication and reproduction of D. macrophthalmus have been successful and this species has become an economic species locally. However, there is still little research on D. macrophthalmus. Methods: In this study, a high-quality genome of D. macrophthalmus was assembled and annotated. The genome was sequenced and assembled using the PacBio platform and Hi-C method. Results: The genome size is 1.01 Gb and N50 is 37.99 Mb. The assembled contigs were anchored into 24 chromosomes. BUSCO analysis revealed that the genome assembly has 95.6% gene coverage completeness. A total of 455.62 Mb repeat sequences (48.50% of the assembled genome) and 30,424 protein-coding genes were identified in the genome. Conclusions: This study provides essential genomic data for further research on the evolution and conservation of D. macrophthalmus. Meanwhile, the high-quality genome assembly also provides insights into the genomic evolution of the genus Distoechodon.