Chromosome-level genome assembly of the predatory flower bug Orius strigicollis

Predatory insects serve as important biological control agents in ecosystems by efficiently reducing pest populations. Orius strigicollis is a highly effective beneficial predator in cultivated fields in China. It is widely used as a biological control agent against many pests, including thrips, aphids, and spider mites. The lack of public availability of O. strigicollis genomes has limited our ability to thoroughly explore and research its evolution and gene function, particularly genes related to pesticide resistance. Here, we report a chromosome-scale assembly of the O. strigicollis genome by PacBio High fidelity (HiFi) long-reads, high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) and Illumina sequencing technologies. The final genome assembly was 167 Mb with a scaffold N50 size of 12.49 Mb, and 97.87% of the assembly was anchored to 12 chromosomes. Annotation identified 11,551 protein-coding genes. In this article, we reported a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly genome for the species of the genus Orius for the first time, which provide valuable resources for functional gene research and genetic transformation of natural enemy insects.