A high-quality genome of the dobsonfly Neoneuromus ignobilis reveals molecular convergences in aquatic insects

Neoneuromus ignobilis is an archaic holometabolous aquatic predatory insect. However, a lack of genomic resources hinders the use of whole genome sequencing to explore their genetic basis and molecular mechanisms for adaptive evolution. Here, we provided a high-contiguity, chromosome-level genome assembly of N. ignobilis using high coverage nanopore reads and the Hi-C technique. The final assembly is 481.43 MB in size, containing 12 telomere-ended pseudochromosomes with only 23 gaps. We then compared 42 hexapod species genomes including six independent lineages comprising 11 aquatic insects, and found convergent expansions of long wavelength-sensitive and blue-sensitive opsins, thermal stress response TRP channels, and sulfotransferases in aquatic insects, which may be related to their aquatic adaptation. We also detected strong non-random signals of convergent amino acid substitutions in aquatic insects. Collectively, our comparative genomic analysis revealed the evidence of molecular ...