# ERGA-BGE reference genome of the lineid heteronemertean Lineus lacteus (Pilidiophora, Nemertea)

## TL;DR

This paper presents a high-quality reference genome for Lineus lacteus, a marine worm, which helps study its unique traits like regeneration and venom.

## Contribution

The study provides a chromosome-level genome assembly for Lineus lacteus, filling a gap in genomic resources for the Nemertea phylum.

## Key findings

- The genome assembly includes 19 chromosomal pseudomolecules with a total size of 0.37 Gb.
- The assembly has high contig and scaffold N50 values of 8.9 Mb and 20.4 Mb, respectively.
- The resource supports research on regeneration, venom, and adaptation in marine ecosystems.

## Abstract

The reference genome of
Lineus lacteus is a crucial resource for studying the genetic basis of novelty and the evolution of remarkable traits, such as regeneration and venom, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptability in marine intertidal ecosystems.
Lineus lacteus belongs to the Nemertea, a phylum of worm-shaped animals comprising approximately 1,300 species within the Lophotrochozoa — a superphylum of animals including leeches, snails, and other invertebrates that is crucial to our understanding of bilaterian evolution. Despite their evolutionary and ecological relevance, genomic resources for the phylum Nemertea remain scarce. We assembled the entirety of the
L. lacteus genome into 19 contiguous chromosomal pseudomolecules. This chromosome-level assembly encompasses 0.37 Gb, composed of 71 contigs and 27 scaffolds, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 8.9 Mb and 20.4 Mb, respectively.