Conference Agenda

The Australian sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina dorsalis, is a significant ectoparasite of sheep responsible for flystrike, leading to substantial production losses, animal injury, and mortality. Current flystrike control strategies rely heavily on surgical mulesing and insecticides; however, these approaches present ongoing welfare, sustainability, and efficacy challenges. Despite the economic and biological importance of this species, genomic resources for L. c. dorsalis remain limited, constraining our understanding of its biology and population dynamics. To address this gap, we employed an integrated genomics approach combining Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long-read sequencing, Illumina short-read sequencing, and Omni-C proximity ligation to generate a chromosomal-level genome assembly. Additionally, comprehensive long- and short-read RNA sequencing was used to construct a high-resolution de novo transcriptome. Together, these datasets provide a robust foundation for genome annotation and functional characterization. This multi-omics framework provides new insights into the genetic architecture, evolutionary history, and key biological processes of L. c. dorsalis. Importantly, the chromosomal-level assembly enables population genomics analyses across Australian blowfly populations, facilitating investigation of genetic diversity, structure, and dispersal. These resources establish a critical platform for advancing genomic research and supporting the development of improved and sustainable flystrike management strategies, bridging fundamental genomics with applied sheep health outcomes.