A chromosome-level genome assembly of the native populations of the Japanese pavement ant, Tetramorium tsushimae Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The Japanes pavement ant, Tetramorium tsushimae Emery is an ecologically significant ant species recognized for its mutualistic interactions with aphids and other hemipterans. Here, we present the first chromosome-scale genome assembly for this species, generated using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing coupled with Pore-C scaffolding. The final assembly spans 259.2 Mb and is anchored to 13 chromosomes, with a scaffold N50 of 19.7 Mb. We identified 34,352 protein-coding genes, 58.9% of which were functionally annotated. The genome comprises 21.58% repetitive elements and exhibits 98.4% completeness based on BUSCO analysis. Gene family evolution analysis revealed orthogroup expansions and contractions, while synteny with Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler demonstrated extensive collinearity alongside lineage-specific rearrangements. This high-quality genome assembly provides a valuable foundation for future research into the evolution, ecology, and social behavior of T. tsushimae.