Abstract
The digger wasp genus Cerceris represents an important transition from predacious hymenopterans to the bees. Here, we present a refined genome assembly of Cerceris sabulosa. A drone specimen was sequenced using the Oxford Nanopore platform and polished by Illumina paired-end reads. The assembled genome size was 372.7 Mb, including 587 contigs (N50 = 6.6 Mb), with 99.4% of BUSCO genes present in the assembly. A total of 12,425 protein-coding genes were annotated. In addition, 140.3 Mb of repeat elements and 938 noncoding RNAs were identified. Genome evolution analysis showed that many genes related to binding had experienced significant expansion. Our new genome assembly builds the foundation for in-depth research on evolutionary adaptation and lifestyle transition in Cerceris species.