A transcriptome sequence dataset characterizing eggs, nymphs and adults of Oxycarenus hyalinipennis, the cotton seed bug

Authors: HERAGHTY, SAM D. - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE); Zhang, Aijun; KUHAR, DANIEL - Former ARS Employee; Gundersen, Dawn; Sparks, Michael

Submitted to: Data in Brief
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/25/2026
Publication Date: 2/5/2026
Citation: Heraghty, S., Zhang, A., Kuhar, D., Gundersen, D.E., Sparks, M. 2026. A transcriptome sequence dataset characterizing eggs, nymphs and adults of Oxycarenus hyalinipennis, the cotton seed bug. Data in Brief. 65. Article e112532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2026.112532.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2026.112532

Interpretive Summary: The cotton seed bug, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis, is a nuisance insect pest that poses substantial risks to the fiber production security and economic output of domestic cotton production regions in California and the Mississippi Delta region. Currently, there are no biological sequence resources available in public databases for this species. This report details our efforts to create the first gene expression information data set for this species. These data capture gene expression patterns in a life stage- and sex-specific manner: egg mass, 2nd and 4th nymphal instar juveniles, and male and female adult samples were captured. Raw sequence read data were assembled into a comprehensive gene set, which was annotated and quantitatively analyzed. The results presented in this work may be used as a starting point for the evolutionary analysis of gene families of interest, as an extrinsic evidence source for use in improving the gene annotation accuracy of a cotton seed bug nuclear genome assembly (when such becomes available), or as a listing of life stage- or sex-specific genes to target as part of a molecular pesticide-based insect population control strategy. These resources will be of use to stakeholders involved in cotton crop production and protection, who could utilize this information in ongoing efforts to mitigate or prevent cotton seed bug infestations of cotton plants, and to the entomology research community in general.

Technical Abstract: The cotton seed bug, Oxycarenus hyalinipennis, is an agricultural pest that has recently been detected in the United States and has the potential to cause extensive economic damage to the cotton production industry. Currently, there are no transcriptomic resources for this species. The data reported here will serve to help guide future efforts to create additional reference resources as well as facilitate the development of population control strategies. These data could also be of use towards identifying protein coding genes in a cotton seed bug genome assembly. A total of 13,384 differentially expressed genes was identified, which collectively encoded 40,871 distinct transcripts, of which 18,842 could be annotated with a reference protein in the NCBI NR database, 13,233 with Pfam protein families and 8,089 with GO Gene Ontology terms. These transcripts could, for example, be targeted for future functional genomics work.