Chromosome-level genome assembly of the Vermillion Snapper (Rhomboplites aurorubens)

Vermillion Snapper ( Rhomboplites aurorubens , Lutjanidae) inhabits deep waters (20-300 m) from North America through Brazil, sustaining significant commercial and recreational fisheries. Despite its economic importance, knowledge of its biology is limited. Classified as Vulnerable on the Red List due to overfishing, populations have declined by over 30% in recent generations. 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, chromosome-level genome assembly of an Atlantic snapper to date. 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.