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Group:
Insect
Size:
Wingspan: 10-12 cm
Distribution:
Primarily mopane woodlands in southern Africa, including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
34.4 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
6.65 kilobases
Assembly N50:
249.78 kilobases
Contig number:
6 924
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
Flye
Genome Length:
0.4 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
98.4% [S: 94.1%, D: 4.3%]
BUSCO database:
eukaryota
Importance:
Mopane worms are harvested from the wild at a commercial scale in southern Africa for human consumption. Demand has been increasing and harvesting and trade have intensified. Together with habitat loss and climate change, this has raised concerns about the sustainability of the species. The genome sequence will assist in understanding population dynamics and the conservation status of the species.
Date Published:
2026-02-04
Photo credit:
© B. van Asch
Fauna
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