High-Quality Assemblies for Three Invasive Social Wasps from the Vespula Genus

Thomas W R Harrop; Joseph Guhlin; Gemma M McLaughlin; Elizabeth Permina; Peter Stockwell; Josh Gilligan; Marissa F Le Lec; Monica A M Gruber; Oliver Quinn; Mackenzie Lovegrove; Elizabeth J Duncan; Emily J Remnant; Jens Van Eeckhoven; Brittany Graham; Rosemary A Knapp; Kyle W Langford; Zev Kronenberg; Maximilian O Press; Stephen M Eacker; Erin E Wilson-Rankin; Jessica Purcell; Philip J Lester; Peter K Dearden

doi:10.1534/g3.120.401579

High-Quality Assemblies for Three Invasive Social Wasps from the Vespula Genus

G3 (Bethesda). 2020 Oct 5;10(10):3479-3488. doi: 10.1534/g3.120.401579.

Authors

Thomas W R Harrop¹, Joseph Guhlin¹, Gemma M McLaughlin¹, Elizabeth Permina¹, Peter Stockwell², Josh Gilligan¹, Marissa F Le Lec¹, Monica A M Gruber³, Oliver Quinn³, Mackenzie Lovegrove¹, Elizabeth J Duncan⁴, Emily J Remnant⁵, Jens Van Eeckhoven⁴, Brittany Graham⁴, Rosemary A Knapp⁴, Kyle W Langford⁶, Zev Kronenberg⁶, Maximilian O Press⁶, Stephen M Eacker⁶, Erin E Wilson-Rankin⁷, Jessica Purcell⁷, Philip J Lester³, Peter K Dearden⁸

Affiliations

¹ Genomics Aotearoa and Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
² Pathology Department, University of Otago, Dunedin, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
³ Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, New Zealand.
⁴ School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom.
⁵ School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
⁶ Phase Genomics Inc., 1617 8th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109.
⁷ Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521.
⁸ Genomics Aotearoa and Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, Aotearoa, New Zealand peter.dearden@otago.ac.nz.

Abstract

Social wasps of the genus Vespula have spread to nearly all landmasses worldwide and have become significant pests in their introduced ranges, affecting economies and biodiversity. Comprehensive genome assemblies and annotations for these species are required to develop the next generation of control strategies and monitor existing chemical control. We sequenced and annotated the genomes of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), German wasp (Vespula germanica), and the western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica). Our chromosome-level Vespula assemblies each contain 176-179 Mb of total sequence assembled into 25 scaffolds, with 10-200 unanchored scaffolds, and 16,566-18,948 genes. We annotated gene sets relevant to the applied management of invasive wasp populations, including genes associated with spermatogenesis and development, pesticide resistance, olfactory receptors, immunity and venom. These genomes provide evidence for active DNA methylation in Vespidae and tandem duplications of venom genes. Our genomic resources will contribute to the development of next-generation control strategies, and monitoring potential resistance to chemical control.

Keywords: Hymenoptera; Vespula germanica; Vespula pensylvanica; Vespula vulgaris; genomes; social insects.

MeSH terms

Animals
Genomics
Wasps* / genetics