The Genome Assembly and Annotation of the Brown-Spotted Pit Viper Protobothrops mucrosquamatus

Brown-Spotted Pit viper (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus), also known as the Chinese habu, is a widespread and highly venomous snake distributed from from northeastern India to eastern China. Genomics research can help provide much insight in understanding venom components and natural selection in vipers. Here, we collected, sequenced and assembled the genome of a male P. mucrosquamatus individual from China, producing a highly continuous reference genome, with the length of 1.53 Gb and 41.18% repeat element content. From this 24,799 genes were identified, and 97.97% genes could be annotated. Nuclear genome single-copy genes phylogenetic tree including 6 species verified the validity of our genome assembly and annotation process. This research will contribute to further study on Protobothrops biology and the genetic basis of the snake venom.