The chromosomal genome sequence of the giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta Schmidt 1870 and its associated microbial metagenome sequences

We present a genome assembly from a specimen of Xestospongia muta (Caribbean barrel sponge; Porifera; Demospongiae; Haplosclerida; Petrosiidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 158.52 megabases. Most of the assembly (99.56%) is scaffolded into 15 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 18.99 kilobases in length. Several symbiotic bacterial genomes were assembled as MAGs, including Candidatus Poribacteria species, Candidatus Latescibacteria, Acidobacteriota, Actinomycetota Gemmatimonadota, multiple Chloroflexota and the archaeon Nitrosopumilus. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 20,220 protein-coding genes.