We present a genome assembly from an Aiolochroia crassa individual (blue bleeder; Porifera; Demospongiae; Verongiida; Aplysinidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 188.59 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.98%) is scaffolded into 23 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled, with a length of 21.04 kilobases. The metagenome of the specimen was also assembled, yielding 123 bins, of which 62 were high-quality MAGs, including 26 fully circularised genomes. The metagenome profile was characteristic of high microbial abundance (HMA) sponges, with bins representing 18 different phyla and candidate phyla. Bacterial and archaeal MAGs indicative of microbial nitrification were identified. Most MAGs were affiliated with the phyla Pseudomonadota, Acidobacteriota, and Chloroflexota as well as several candidate phyla ( Ca. Poribacteria, Latescibacterota, and Binatota). Several known genera of sponge symbionts were further present, among them Ca. Poriferisocius, Ca. Spongiisociaceae, and Ca. Poriferihabitaceae.
Chaves-Fonnegra et al. (2026) studied this question.