Chromosome-level genome assembly of Teratoscincus roborowskii reveals olfactory candidate genes

Teratoscincus roborowskii, an endemic species to China, is of particular interest due to its unique biological characteristics. It is a strictly nocturnal reptile that inhabits extremely harsh environment, and possesses a remarkable ability to regenerate lost tails. In this study, we generated the first chromosome level genome assembly of T. roborowskii using PacBio circular consensus sequencing (CCS) combined with Hi-C scaffolding. of the assembly comprises 18 chromosomes and includes 21,341 predicted protein protein-coding genes, of which 99.62%were successfully annotated against public database. This high-quality genome not only fills a critical gap in genomic resources for this species, but also provides a valuable foundation for future study on its evolutionary history, gene functions and conservation biology.