In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of a fungus-growing termite, Macrotermes natalensis, with the total length of 16,325 bp, is reported for the first time. This mtgenome harbors 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and 1 control region (D-loop). The total base composition is 44.1% of A, 21.5% of T, 11.5% of G, and 22.9% of C, so the percentage of A and T (65.6%) is much higher than that of G and C. Most of the genes are distributed on H-strand, except for four subunit genes (ND1, ND4, ND4L, ND5) and eight tRNA genes. All protein-coding genes start with an ATN codon, and terminate with the canonical stop codon (TAA/TAG) or a single T (T- -). The complete mitochondrial genome sequence reported here adds a new genetic resource for the genus Macrotermes and might be useful for phylogenetic and systematic analyses within the genus Macrotermes.
Keywords: Fungus-growing termite; Macrotermes natalensis; mitochondrial genome.