The flower chafer Osmoderma opicum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) has been listed in Korea as a class II endangered wild species. The 15 341-bp complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the species consists of a typical set of genes (13 protein-coding genes [PCGs], two rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes) and the A + T-rich region, with an arrangement typical of insects. The 761-bp long A + T-rich region of O. opicum has a microsatellite-like sequence consisting of (TA)6, along with a poly-T (12 bp) and a poly-A (16 bp) stretch, but does not have a longer repeat sequence often found in other Scarabaeidae. Twelve PCGs started with the typical ATN codon, whereas the COI started with AAC, which has been designated as the start codon for the coleopteran suborder Polyphaga. Phylogenetic analysis using 11 PCGs from Scarabaeidae showed that O. opicum was placed as the sister to the within-subfamilial species Myodermum sp., forming the monophyletic group, the subfamily Cetoniinae, with moderate to high nodal support.
Keywords: Endangered species; mitochondrial genome;Osmoderma opicum.
© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis.