The Blue-crowned Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus courtoisi) is a critically endangered species and listed as National First-class Protected Wildlife in China, with a small population size and highly restricted geographic distribution in Jiangxi Province. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying its endangered status remain unclear. In this study, we constructed a chromosome-level reference genome by integrating Illumina short-read, PacBio long-read, and Hi-C chromatin interaction data. The final assembled genome spans 1.255 Gb, with 1.158 Gb (92.32%) of the sequences anchored onto 39 pseudochromosomes. A total of 16,807 protein-coding genes were predicted, among which 15,574 genes (92.7%) were functionally annotated. This high-quality genome assembly provides a valuable genomic resource for future genetic studies and conservation efforts for the Blue-crowned Laughingthrush.
Ouyang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.