The chromosome-level genome of Cherax quadricarinatus

Red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) is an aquatic crustacean with considerable potential for the commercial culture and an ideal model for studying the mechanism of sex determination. To provide better genomic resources, we assembled a chromosome-level genome with a size of 5.26 Gb and contig N50 of 144.33 kb. Nearly 90% of sequences were anchored to 100 chromosomes, which represents the high-quality crustacean genome with the largest number of chromosomes ever reported. The genome contained 78.69% repeat sequences and 20,460 protein-coding genes, of which 82.40% were functionally annotated. This chromosome-scale genome would be a valuable reference for assemblies of other complex genomes and studies of evolution in crustaceans.

Automated summary

The red claw crayfish is a commercially valuable aquatic crustacean and an ideal model for studying sex determination mechanism. We have assembled a chromosome-level genome with a size of 5.26 Gb and contig N50 of 144.33 kb. Nearly 90% of the sequences were anchored to 100 chromosomes, making it the highest-quality crustacean genome with the largest number of chromosomes ever reported. The genome contains 78.69% repeat sequences and 20,460 protein-coding genes, of which 82.40% have been functionally annotated. This chromosome-scale genome will serve as a valuable reference for assembling other complex genomes and studying evolution in crustaceans.