A high-quality, long-read genome assembly of the whitelined sphinx moth (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae: Hyles lineata)

• Main Author: Godfrey, R. Keating
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: PacBio HiFi sequencing; Hyles lineata; genome; Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.95x69p8q0

The sphinx moth genus Hyles comprises 29 described species inhabiting all continents except Antarctica. The genus diverged relatively recently (40 – 25 mya), arising in the Americas and rapidly establishing a cosmopolitan distribution. The whitelined sphinx moth, Hyles lineata , represents the oldest extant lineage of this group and is one of the most widespread and abundant sphinx moths in North America. Hyles lineata exhibits the large body size and adept flight control characteristic of the sphinx moth family (Sphingidae), but is unique in displaying extreme larval color variation and broad host plant use. These traits, in combination with its broad distribution and high relative abundance within its range, have made H. lineata a strong model organism for studying phenotypic plasticity, plant-herbivore interactions, physiological ecology, and flight control. Despite being one of the most well-studied sphinx moths, little data exists on genetic variation or regulation of gene expression. Here we report a high-quality draft genome showing high contiguity (N50 of 14.2 Mb) and completeness (98.2% of Lepidoptera BUSCO genes), an important first characterization to facilitate such studies. We also annotate the core melanin synthesis pathway genes and confirm that they have high sequence conservation with other moths and are most similar to those of another, well-characterized sphinx moth, the tobacco hornworm ( Manduca sexta ). Funding provided by: National Science Foundation Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001 Award Number: 2109598