A chromosome-level genome assembly for the desert scorpion Mesobuthus przewalskii from Asian drylands

Abstract Scorpions are an ancient and charismatic group of arthropods with medical importance, but a high-quality reference genome for this group is still lacking. Here we perform whole-genome sequencing of Mesobuthus przewalskii, a desert scorpion endemic to the Taklimakan Desert. We combine PacBio HiFi sequencing and Hi-C chromosome conformation capturing to generate chromosomal-level, haplotype-resolved, and fully annotated genome assembly for this medically important scorpion. The assembly consists of two haplotypes (1052.01 Mbp and 1055.19 Mbp, respectively) reaching chromosome-level contiguity and >98% BUSCO completeness. Sequences were anchored in 13 chromosomes with a contig N50 of 34.44 Mbp and scaffold N50 of 81.43 Mbp. Several key genome features and the mitochondrial genome assembly were also provided. This genome represents the fifth but the most complete assembly for the order Scorpiones.