A high-quality reference genome assembly for the devil firefish, Pterois miles

Exploring the genetic background of successful invasive phenotypes is essential in understanding their underlying mechanisms. Lionfish (Scorpaenidae) are identified among the most prosperous invaders spread along the coastlines of the Atlantic and recently the Mediterranean Sea. However, within this family, the genomic resources are depauperate while reference genome assemblies are totally absent. In this study, we focus on the devil firefish, Pterois miles (Bennett, 1828), one of the most successful invasive species across the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. We sequenced the genome of P. miles using Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) and Illumina reads for building the reference genome. The resulting assembly consisted of 660 contigs and scaffolds (N50 = 14,5 Mb) with a total size of about 902 Mb, while delivering 98% BUSCO completeness. The high-quality de novo genome assembly constructed here is the first one among the members of Scorpaenidae and establishes the outset for further exploring this family and the biology of venomous and invasive species.