Weaving connections from genotype to phenotype: A new HiFi assembly and annotation of the Luna moth

Whole genome assemblies and annotations provide the foundation for studying the ecology and evolutionary history of organisms. Moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) are one of the most diverse and ubiquitous groups of insects. Despite their diversity, there are very few high-quality whole genomes available across this group, with existing genomes focused on model organisms like the domestic silkworm moth (Bombyx mori). Here, we present a de-novo assembly for the luna moth (Actias luna), a non-model organism with important implications for pollinators and ecological maintenance across the eastern United States. This assembly (420 Mbp) yielded an N50 of 16,802,800 bp and L50 of 14 contigs, with 99.4% completeness (BUSCO). Structural annotation using protein evidence from the closely related Bombyx mori yielded a total of 20,801 genes with 95.1% model completeness. Structural annotation using RNAseq data for Actias luna yielded a total of 21,773 genes, with a 97.2% model completeness. The first comprehensive long-read whole genome assembly and annotation completely captured the heavy fibroin silk gene region ( >20 Kbp) responsible for silk fiber phenotype variation in this species. This study enables future resolution of this gene region across the Lepidoptera tree of life, giving better insight to this important behavior necessary for understanding moth and butterfly ecology and evolution.