# ERGA-BGE reference genome of Eunicella cavolini, an IUCN Near Threatened Gorgonian of the Mediterranean Sea

## TL;DR

This paper presents the reference genome of Eunicella cavolini, a gorgonian coral, to help study its adaptation to environmental and human pressures.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the chromosome-level reference genome assembly of Eunicella cavolini.

## Key findings

- The genome was assembled into 17 chromosomal pseudomolecules with a total size of 0.49 Gb.
- The assembly includes 159 contigs and 46 scaffolds with N50 values of 7.7 Mb and 51.1 Mb.

## Abstract

The
Eunicella cavolini reference genome provides an important resource to study the adaptation of this species to different environments and anthropic pressures. This species is impacted by human activities, including climate change, and this reference genome will be useful to study the genomic evolution of this species. The entirety of the genome sequence was assembled into 17 contiguous chromosomal pseudomolecules. This chromosome-level assembly encompasses 0.49 Gb, composed of 159 contigs and 46 scaffolds, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 7.7 Mb and 51.1 Mb, respectively.