Genome assembly of a euryhaline fish (Mystus gulio) from the Bay of Bengal: a valuable resource for functional genomics and conservation

OBJECTIVE: Mystus gulio (long-whisker catfish) is an euryhaline catfish of economic and ecological significance distributed in South and Southeast Asia. Despite its value in climate-resilient capabilities, mariculture, high market demand, nutritional benefits, and recent reports of its export as an indigenous ornamental fish, genomic resources for this species remain limited. This whole genome sequence will provide a critical foundation for studies in climate-resilience, evolutionary biology, population genetics, and sustainable aquaculture of this economically important species. DATA DESCRIPTION: In this study, the DNA was extracted from a healthy Mystus gulio (location: Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh), and WGS was performed using the Illumina NovaSeq X platform (150 × 2). Sequence quality control (QC) and de novo assembly were then performed using SPAdes v4.0.0, producing a draft genome assembly. The assembled genome spans approximately 0.282 Gb with an N50 of 6.9 kb and 39.17% GC content, providing insight into the genetic architecture of this species.