Drosophila montium Species Group Genomes Project

Here we sequence and de novo assemble 23 genomes from the species-rich Drosophila montium species group. Genomes for 22 of these species are presented here for the first time. For each species, we sequenced a single, small-insert library to approximately 35x coverage, and assembled the genome using MaSuRCA. While the resulting assemblies are relatively fragmented - the scaffold NG50s range from 18 kb to 390 kb, with a mean of 74 kb - they are also highly complete. All assemblies, regardless of contiguity, contain high percentages of known genes and transcriptional enhancers. Our genome assemblies can be used to further resolve the montium group phylogeny; study the evolution of protein-coding genes and cis-regulatory sequences; and determine the genetic basis of ecological and behavioral adaptations.