A draft genome assembly of the mushroom coral Podabacia crustacea (Pallas, 1766)

Coral reefs are facing significant environmental changes that greatly impact biodiversity, including species such as the widely distributed coral Podabacia. In particular, Podabacia crustacea is notable for its high abundance and broad distribution. Despite its ecological importance, comprehensive genomic studies of this species have been limited, even though such data are crucial for the conservation of coral ecosystems. In this study, we generated a high-quality genome assembly of P. crustacea, the type species of the genus Podabacia, to provide a foundation for further genomic research on the genus. Using PacBio HiFi long reads, we assembled a genome of 853.9 Mb with a contig N50 of 2.9 Mb. BUSCO analysis revealed a completeness score of 97.0%. Additionally, we identified 29,342 protein-coding genes, 95.6% of which were functionally annotated through comparisons with established protein databases. This genomic resource advances our understanding of coral phylogeny and serves as an important reference for coral conservation studies.