A reference genome for Bluegill Sunfish (Centrarchidae: Lepomis macrochirus)

North American sunfishes (Family Centrarchidae) are among the most popular sportfish throughout the United States and Canada. Despite the popularity of sunfishes, their ecological importance, and their extensive stocking and aquacultural history, few molecular studies have examined the evolutionary relationships and species limits among members of this group, many of which are known to hybridize. Here, we describe a chromosome-scale, genome assembly representing Bluegill Sunfish (<em>Lepomis macrochirus</em>), one of the most widespread centrarchid species. By combining long-read, Oxford Nanopore sequencing data with short-insert, whole genome and HiC sequence reads, we produced an assembly (Lm_LA_1.0) having a total length of 889 MBP including 1,841 scaffolds and having a scaffold N50 of 36 MBP, L50 of 12, N90 of 29 MBP, and L90 of 22. BUSCO analyses indicated that Lm_LA_1.0 was relatively complete with 99% (eukaryota_odb10) and 98% (actinopterygii_odb10) BUSCOs detected, and <em>ab initio</em>gene prediction performed using this new assembly identified a set of 15,873 genes that were supported by external data. This new assembly provides an important addition to the growing set of assemblies already available for spiny-rayed fishes (Acanthomorpha), and it will serve as a resource for future studies that focus on the complex evolutionary history of centrarchids.