Genome assembly of the Mopani worm (Gonimbrasia belina) from South Africa
The Mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina) is an economically and nutritionally important insect in southern Africa. This study presents the first high-quality genome assembly for the species, generated using Oxford Nanopore long reads and scaffolded with a related genome (Hylesia metabus). The initial assembly of 10,312 contigs (418 Mb, N50 = 217 kb) was polished and scaffolded with RagTag, yielding 8,597 scaffolds and an N50 of 10.14 Mb. The final genome size is 417.8 Mb, GC content 36.24%, and BUSCO completeness 95.8% (85.1% single-copy, 10.7% duplicated). Read mapping (99.03%) confirms high accuracy. Contamination is minimal, and the genome provides a foundation for genetic, evolutionary, and sustainable use studies of G. belina in African insect-based food systems.
The Mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina) is an economically and nutritionally important insect in southern Africa. This study presents the first high-quality genome assembly for the species, generated using Oxford Nanopore long reads and scaffolded with a related genome (Hylesia metabus). The initial assembly of 10,312 contigs (418 Mb, N50 = 217 kb) was polished and scaffolded with RagTag, yielding 8,597 scaffolds and an N50 of 10.14 Mb. The final genome size is 417.8 Mb, GC content 36.24%, and BUSCO completeness 95.8% (85.1% single-copy, 10.7% duplicated). Read mapping (99.03%) confirms high accuracy. Contamination is minimal, and the genome provides a foundation for genetic, evolutionary, and sustainable use studies of G. belina in African insect-based food systems.
ARC-Biotechnology Platform (ARC-BTP)