Supporting data for "Genome Sequence of the Chinese White Wax Scale Insect: the First Draft Genome for the Coccidae Family of Scale Insects"

The Chinese white wax scale insect, <i>Ericerus pela</i>, is best known for producing wax, which has been widely used in candle production, casting, Chinese medicine, and wax printing products for thousands of years. The wax secretion and other unusual features of scale insects are thought to be adaptations to their change from an ancestral ground-dweller lifestyle to a sedentary lifestyle in which they live on the higher parts of plants. In addition to improving its economic value, studying <i>E. pela</i> should also help explain the adaptation of scale insects. However, no genomic data are currently available for <i>E. pela</i>.<br> To assemble the <i>E. pela</i> genome, a total of 303.92 Gb of data was generated using Illumina and PacBio sequencing, producing 277.22 Gb of clean data for assembly. The assembled genome size of <i>E. pela</i> was 0.66 Gb, with 1,979 scaffolds and a scaffold N50 of 735 kb. The G+C content was 33.80%. A total of 12,022 protein-coding genes were predicted, with an average coding sequence length of 1,370 bp. A total of 26 fatty acyl-CoA reductase genes and 35 acyltransferase genes were identified. Evolutionary analysis revealed that <i>E. pela</i> and aphids formed a sister group and split approximately 241.1 million years ago. There were 214 expanded gene families and 2,219 contracted gene families in <i>E. pela</i>. <br> We present the first genome from the Coccidae family. The results increase our understanding of the evolution of unique features in scale insects and supply important genetic information for further research.