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Oral Presentation

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Student Competition

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Student Poster Display Competition

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Student Competition

Student

Grad Poster Competition: SysEB, Evolution and Systematics

De novo whole genome assembly of the mosquito Aedes grossbecki

Monday, November 10, 2025

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific

Location: Exhibit Hall A-A1, OCC

Presenting Author(s)

PE

Peyton Insley Easton

University of Delaware
Dover, Delaware

Co-Author(s)

VE

Vincenzo Ellis

University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
CB

Charles Bartlett

University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
MM

Madolyn MacDonald

University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware
WW

Wil Winter, BCE

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife: Mosquito Control
Newark, Delaware
TM

Thomas Moran

State of Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife - Mosquito Control, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Glasgow, Delaware
WM

William Meredith

State of Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife - Mosquito Control, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Dover, Delaware
SP

Shawn Polson

University of Delaware
Newark, Delaware

The generation of high-quality reference genomes facilitates species delimitation, phylogenetics, and population genetic analyses. Many mosquitoes in the genus Aedes are common human biters and often vectors of arboviruses that infect humans. Despite this relevance to public health, reference genomes are not available for many Aedes species. In Delaware, Aedes grossbecki is one of the first mosquitoes to emerge in the spring. As a first step towards understanding the evolutionary history of Ae. grossbecki and the genetic underpinnings of its unique phenology, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated a high-quality reference genome for the species. We assembled the genome using PacBio HiFi reads from a single mosquito collected in New Castle County, Delaware. The haploid genome assembly was ca. 2.19 Gb, with an N50 of 569 kb and an N90 of 181 kb, 6,300 contigs, and 95.2% of dipteran BUSCO genes. We identified 25,345 genes with high confidence, but predicted 38,963 genes overall, with many having no orthologs in the Ae. aegypti reference genome. We additionally sequenced a second Ae. grossbecki mosquito collected from the same location and mapped its reads to the reference for an initial assessment of genetic diversity. Between the two individuals, Tajima’s D values over 10 kb genomic windows mostly fell between -1 and 1, consistent with neutral evolution. However, there was a smaller additional peak of D > 2, plausibly indicative of balancing selection. Additional Aedes genomes will support future comparative studies to understand the biology and evolutionary history of this genus.