The first complete mitochondrial genome of the migratory dragonfly Pantala flavescens Fabricius, 1798 (Libellulidae: Odonata)

Felix Joke David; Rebecca Herzog; Arne Bielke; Nicole Bergjürgen; Hans-Jürgen Osigus; Heike Hadrys

doi:10.1080/23802359.2021.1882914

The first complete mitochondrial genome of the migratory dragonfly Pantala flavescens Fabricius, 1798 (Libellulidae: Odonata)

Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2021 Mar 15;6(3):808-810. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1882914.

Authors

Felix Joke David¹, Rebecca Herzog¹, Arne Bielke¹, Nicole Bergjürgen¹, Hans-Jürgen Osigus¹, Heike Hadrys¹

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Animal Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.

Abstract

Pantala flavescens is the world's most abundant and widely distributed dragonfly and with its outstanding migratory capacity an important model system to study insect migration at the evolutionary base of winged insects. We here report on the first complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of P. flavescens sampled from a population in Rufiji River, Tanzania. The mitogenome is 14,853 bp long with an AT-biased base composition (72.7% A + T) and encodes a typical set of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. The control region (CR) (171 bp) is the shortest reported in any anisopteran odonate, so far. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of P. flavescens within the Libellulidae.

Keywords: A + T rich control region; Mitochondrial genome; Odonata; Pantala flavescens; migratory insect.

Grants and funding

This study was supported in part by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) PROMOS fellowship for FJD to conduct part of his research at The Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, NY, United States of America supervised by Dr. Rob DeSalle and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung.