Decoding the Forcipomyia taiwana Genome (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae): Insights into Odorant Receptor Expansion and its Association with Physiological Conditions in Biting Midges

We successfully constructed the genome of the biting midge F. taiwana using PacBio long reads. The assembled genome comprises approximately 200 Mb across 7,922 scaffolds, with 66x coverage and no gaps or ambiguous nucleotides. We observed an expansion of odorant receptor (OR) genes in the F. taiwana genome and its closely related C. sonorensis genome, while no such expansion was found in ionotropic (IR) and gustatory receptor (GR) genes. Transcriptome analysis revealed that OR gene expression is associated with the physiological condition of F. taiwana, suggesting an evolutionary adaptation of the olfactory sensing system.