Abstract Grasshoppers represent true outliers in genome sizes, both within insects and within animals in general. Their genomes are large and generally variable in sizes and feature a high abundance of repetitive DNA sequences. This has hampered the assembly of grasshopper genomes to chromosome level. Here we present a chromosome-level reference genome for the club-legged grasshopper (Gomphocerus sibiricus, Acrididae: Gomphocerinae) using PacBio HiFi long-read and Hi-C sequencing technologies. In male haploid cells, the species has a chromosome set of n = 9 with an X0 sex-determination system, characterized by an absence of a Y chromosome. Our assembly spans 9.57 Gb in total, with 8.87 Gb organized into nine chromosomes—eight autosomes and the X chromosome. The final assembly has a scaffold N50 value of 1.58 Gb, covers 96.7% single copy Insecta orthologs, and contains 42,665 predicted protein-coding genes and 43,385 mRNA transcripts. We compiled a curated, non-redundant, species-specific repeat library and used it to annotate repetitive DNA, covering 81.69% of the genome, mostly DNA transposons, LINE and LTR retrotransposons. The genome of the club-legged grasshopper shows high degree of synteny with the locusts Schistocerca gregaria and Locusta migratoria, and the analysis strongly indicates three autosome-autosome centric fusions in Gomphocerinae. The genome offers a valuable resource for grasshopper genomics and for exploring the genetic basis of a transspecies color polymorphism.
Palacios‐Gimenez et al. (2025) studied this question.