Data from: First draft genome of an iconic clownfish species (Amphiprion frenatus)

Clownfishes (or anemonefishes) form an iconic group of coral reef fishes, principally known for their mutualistic interaction with sea anemones. They are characterized by particular life-history traits, such as a complex social structure and mating system involving sequential hermaphroditism, coupled with an exceptionally long lifespan. Additionally, clownfishes are considered to be one of the rare group to have experienced an adaptive radiation in the marine environment. Here, we assembled and annotated the first genome of a clownfish species, the tomato clownfish (Amphiprion frenatus). We obtained a total of 17,801 assembled scaffolds, containing a total of 26,917 genes. The completeness of the assembly and annotation was satisfying, with 96.5% of the Actinopterygii BUSCOs (benchmarking universal Single-Copy Orthologs) being retrieved in A. frenatus assembly. The quality of the resulting assembly is comparable to other bony fish assemblies. This resource is valuable for the advancing of studies of the particular life-history traits of clownfishes, as well as being useful for population genetic studies and the development of new phylogenetic markers. It will also open the way to comparative genomics. Indeed, future genomic comparison among closely related fishes may provide means to identify genes related to the unique adaptations to different sea anemone hosts, as well as better characterize the genomic signatures of an adaptive radiation.

小丑鱼（或称海葵鱼）是珊瑚礁鱼类中极具标志性的类群，其与海葵间的互利共生关系广为人知。该类群具有独特的生活史特征：包括复杂的社会结构与涉及顺序雌雄同体的交配系统，同时拥有极长的寿命。此外，小丑鱼被认为是少数在海洋环境中经历适应性辐射的类群之一。
本研究完成了首个小丑鱼物种——番茄小丑鱼（Amphiprion frenatus）的基因组组装与注释。本研究共获得17801条组装后的支架序列（scaffold），涵盖26917个基因。组装与注释的完整性表现优异：辐鳍鱼纲（Actinopterygii）的基准通用单拷贝同源基因集（BUSCO，benchmarking universal Single-Copy Orthologs）中96.5%的基因可在番茄小丑鱼的基因组组装结果中被检索到。该组装的质量可媲美其他硬骨鱼基因组组装结果。
该基因组资源对于推动小丑鱼独特生活史特征相关研究具有重要价值，同时也可应用于种群遗传学研究以及新型系统发育标记的开发。该资源同时将为比较基因组学研究开辟道路。具体而言，未来对近缘鱼类开展的基因组比较分析，将有助于识别与不同海葵宿主适应性相关的基因，并更好地解析适应性辐射的基因组特征。