Chromosome-level genome assembly of the nematophagous flatworm Luticola nematophagus: revealing molecular adaptations for predation and its biocontrol potential against nematode diseases
Chongtao Guo·Qing Yang·Zhouqiong Zhang·Renju Deng·Shouhui Pan·Hai Zhang·Hao Cen·Quan Zhang·Fei Dai·Congyong Li·Wang Yin
The soil-dwelling Rhabdocoela flatworm, Luticola nematophagus, recently identified as a specialized predator of plant-parasitic nematodes such as Meloidogyne incognita, demonstrates considerable potential as a biocontrol agent for agricultural nematode diseases. This study presents the first chromosome-level genome assembly of L. nematophagus, achieved by integrating PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing with Hi-C chromatin conformation capture. The assembled genome is approximately 899.92 Mb with a