A chromosome level reference genome for the pecan weevil, Curculio caryae
- Lindsey C. Perkin
- Zachary P. Cohen
- Sheina B. Sim
- Scott M. Geib
- Anna K. Childers
- Timothy P. L. Smith
- J. Spencer Johnston
- Perot Saelao
- Charles P.-C. Suh
2026-03-18
The pecan weevil, Curculio caryae (Horn), is an obligate feeder of pecan and native hickory trees (genus Carya ) throughout North America. Subsequently it is a significant agricultural pest in pecan orchards. In this study, we present a reference quality genome using deep-coverage, ~40x PacBio HiFi genome sequence reads, and chromatin confirmation, Hi-C, scaffolding. The final genome assembly is approximately 2.2 Gb, which was confirmed by flow cytometry. The primary genome scaffolds have an N50 of 132 Mb and a BUSCO completeness of 95.4% [S:94.3%, D:1.1%]. Furthermore, we employed PacBio long-read RNA, Iso-seq, for de novo gene annotation, in conjunction with InterProscan to identify approximately 19,000 protein coding genes. Repeat content is extensive, contributing at least >80% of the total genome. This data set provides a valuable resource for comparative genomics and evolutionary studies of an economically impactful group of insect pests that currently lack extensive genomic resources.