The chromosome-level genome of the Vermillion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens)

Vermillion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens, Family Lutjanidae) is widely distributed in deeper waters (> 300 m) from North America through Brazil. It supports both a large commercial and popular recreational fishery; however, knowledge of its life history is lacking. The species is listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species as Vulnerable due to overfishing that happens in many parts of its range, leading to an overall decline in the population of at least 30% over the past three generations. Despite the commercial and ecological importance of the species, high-quality genomic resources are lacking.  We assembled and annotated the first chromosome scale genome of this species by combining PacBio long reads, Illumina short reads, and Hi-C data. The resulting assembly is 987.5 Mbp, with a scaffold N50 size of 41.3 Mbp, and 135 contigs clustered and ordered onto 24 chromosomes with 34,496 predicted genes.  The high-quality assembly and annotation contained 98% complete and single-copy BUSCO genes. This is the most complete, high-quality assembly among all previously published snapper genomes. The Vermillion Snapper genome assembly and its supporting data are valuable tools for ecological and comparative genomics studies of snappers and other valuable commercial species within the family.