High-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the snake Pseudoxenodon stejnegeri (Squamata: Colubridae)

The taxonomy and evolution of the genus Pseudoxenodon have long been poorly studied, and the paucity of genomic data in Pseudoxenodon critically impedes robust phylogenetic reconstruction and evolutionary analyses. Here, we present a chromosome-level reference genome assembly for P. stejnegeri generated through integrating the PacBio HiFi sequencing, Illumina short-read sequencing and Hi-C scaffolding techniques. The final genome size is 1601.26 Mb, with a scaffold N50 of 203.68 Mb and 97.07% assembled sequences anchored onto 18 pseudo-chromosomes. The BUSCO assessment revealed 97.8% completeness. We predicted 21,678 protein-coding genes, of which 17,531 (80.87%) genes were functionally annotated. Approximately 908.04 Mb repeat sequences were detected, representing 56.71% of the assembled sequences. This high-quality chromosome-level genome provides a valuable genomic resource for future studies on phylogenetics, evolution, and genetics of the genus Pseudoxenodon.