The Complete Genome Sequences of Halophila stipulacea and Syringodium filiforme: Advancing Genomic Resources for two Tropical Caribbean Seagrasses: Biodiversity Genomes

High-quality genomes are rapidly increasing across seagrasses. However, it remains limited for tropical seagrasses of the Hydrocharticae family, with most research focused on temperate seagrasses such as Posidonia spp. and Zostera spp. We present the complete genome sequences of two species of tropical Caribbean seagrasses, Syringrodium filiforme and Halophila stipulacea. Illumina sequencing was performed on genetic material from wild-collected specimens. The reads were assembled using a de novo method followed by a finishing step. The raw and assembled data are publicly available via Genbank. These genomes will be useful for comparison studies, specifically studying adaptations linked to invasion success. Furthermore, H. stipulacea is the world's most invasive seagrass, colonizing new habitats in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas where it can transform native coastal ecosystems. This work expands on seagrass research efforts, highlighting the power of long-read assemblies to retrieve high-quality genomes.