The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) provides important information for understanding molecular evolution and phylogeny. To determine the systematic status of the family Limacodidae within Lepidoptera, we infer a phylogenetic hypothesis based on the complete mitogenome ofMonema flavescens(Lepidoptera: Limacodidae). The mitogenome ofM. flavescensis 15,396 base pairs (bp), and includes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a control region (CR). The AT skew of this mitogenome is slightly negative and the nucleotide composition is also biased towards A + T nucleotides (80.5%). All PCGs are initiated by ATN codons, except for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene, which is initiated by CGA. All tRNAs display the typical clover-leaf structure characteristic of mitochondrial tRNAs, with the exception oftrnS1(AGN). The mitogenome CR is 401 bp and consists of several features common to Lepidoptera. Phylogenetic analysis using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) based on nucleotide and amino acid sequences of 13 mitochondrial PCGs indicates thatM. flavescensbelongs to Zygaenoidea. We obtain a well-supported phylogenetic tree consisting of Yponomeutoidea + (Tortricoidea + Zygaenoidea + (Papilionoidea + (Pyraloidea + (Noctuoidea + (Geometroidea + Bombycoidea))))).
1 December 2017 in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
The mitochondrial genome (mt genome) provides important information for understanding molecular evolution and phylogenetics. As such, the two complete mt genomes of Ampelophaga rubiginosa and Rondotia menciana were sequenced and annotated. The two circular genomes of A. rubiginosa and R. menciana are 15,282 and 15,636 bp long, respectively, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and an A + T-rich region. The nucleotide composition of the A. rubiginosa mt genome is A + T rich (81.5%) but is lower than that of R. menciana (82.2%). The AT skew is slightly positive and the GC skew is negative in these two mt genomes. Except for cox1, which started with CGA, all other 12PCGs started with ATN codons. The A + T-rich regions of A. rubiginosa and R. menciana were 399 bp and 604 bp long and consist of several features common to Bombycoidea insects. The order and orientation of A. rubiginosa and R. menciana mitogenomes with the order trnM-trnI-trnQ-nad2 is different from the ancestral insects in which trnM is located between trnQ and nad2 (trnI-trnQ-trnM-nad2). Phylogenetic analyses indicate that A. rubiginosa belongs in the Sphingidae family, and R. menciana belongs in the Bombycidae family.