The Genome Sequence of the Rugose Spiraling Whitefly ( Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin): Insights on Biology of an Invasive Agricultural Insect Pest and Implications for Pest Control

Abstract

The Rugose Spiraling Whitefly (RSW) (Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin), a pest native to Central America, infests coconut palms and has been introduced to other regions of the world including North America (e.g., Florida) and Southeast Asia. In India, RSW was first reported in 2016, and rapidly expanded to multiple states nationwide. Currently, RSW has growing global relevance as an agricultural insect pest. In addition to coconut, the RSW exhibits a broad host range, causing damage to various palms, fruit crops such as guava, vegetables, and ornamental shrubs. In this study, we present a high-quality draft genome assembly for this insect pest, generated using Pacific Bioscience long-read HiFi sequencing. The assembled genome spans 1.10 Gb, with a contig N50 value of 10.23 Mb. Approximately 521 Mb of sequences, accounting for 47.30% of the genome, were identified as repeat elements. The assembly includes 35,884 predicted coding sequences and exhibits high completeness, with 98.4% of Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs genes recovered for the core insect gene set. The sequencing of the RSW genome offers valuable insights into the biology of one of the most significant and pervasive agricultural pests. The expansion of gene families associated with insecticide resistance may indicate this pest’s ability to metabolize selective insecticides. These data have the potential to greatly enhance strategies for managing the RSW insect population size and limiting its invasive capacity for pest control. Additionally, the genome provides a foundation for comparative studies of whitefly genomes, and possibly informing the future design and development of novel insecticides.