Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of two Asian bumble bees

The bumblebee Bombus patagiatus Nylander, 1848 and Bombus lantschouensis Vogt, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are ecologically important bumble bee species native to East Asia, with considerable value for agricultural pollination and domestication. Despite their ecological and economic relevance, the lack of high-quality genomic resources has hindered in-depth investigations into their genetic architecture and evolutionary adaptations. Here, we present chromosome-level genome assemblies for both species, generated using a combination of PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing, Illumina short-read resequencing, and Hi-C scaffolding. The assembled genomes span 240.28 Mb (B. patagiatus) and 241.30 Mb (B. lantschouensis), with 94.38% and 94.00% of sequences anchored to 18 chromosomes, respectively. Genome annotation identified 17,351 and 16,023 protein-coding genes in B. patagiatus and B. lantschouensis, along with comprehensive repetitive element characterization. Both assemblies exhibit exceptional completeness, with BUSCO scores exceeding 99%, confirming their high quality and reliability. These genomic resources provide a critical foundation for future research on bumble bee evolution, population genetics, and the molecular basis of domestication traits.

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Journal
Scientific Data
Published
2026-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06568-x
Primary Topic
Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of two Asian bumble bees

zhimin chang, Zhuang Chen, Jin Ge, Jixiang Cui et al.
Scientific Data
Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
article

Chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of two Asian bumble bees

zhimin chang, Zhuang Chen, Jin Ge, Jixiang Cui, J. Liu, Yuange Duan, Wanzhi Cai, Hu Li, Xinyang Zhang, Li Tian, Ye Xu, Fan Song, Yifan Zhai, Cheng Sun, Lixia Tian, Wanhu Yang
article en

Abstract

The bumblebee Bombus patagiatus Nylander, 1848 and Bombus lantschouensis Vogt, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) are ecologically important bumble bee species native to East Asia, with considerable value for agricultural pollination and domestication. Despite their ecological and economic relevance, the lack of high-quality genomic resources has hindered in-depth investigations into their genetic architecture and evolutionary adaptations. Here, we present chromosome-level genome assemblies for both species, generated using a combination of PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing, Illumina short-read resequencing, and Hi-C scaffolding. The assembled genomes span 240.28 Mb (B. patagiatus) and 241.30 Mb (B. lantschouensis), with 94.38% and 94.00% of sequences anchored to 18 chromosomes, respectively. Genome annotation identified 17,351 and 16,023 protein-coding genes in B. patagiatus and B. lantschouensis, along with comprehensive repetitive element characterization. Both assemblies exhibit exceptional completeness, with BUSCO scores exceeding 99%, confirming their high quality and reliability. These genomic resources provide a critical foundation for future research on bumble bee evolution, population genetics, and the molecular basis of domestication traits.

Scientific DataVol. 13(1)
Xinjiang Normal University (CN), Guizhou University (CN), Institute of Plant Protection (CN), Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN), Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (CN), Institute of Zoology (CN), China Agricultural University (CN), Capital Normal University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Agricultural University, China National Tobacco Corporation
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 93%
Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
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