The complete mitochondrial genome of Peirates arcuatus (Stål) is a typical double-stranded circular molecule 16,176 bp long with 37 genes usually present in animal mitochondrial genomes and a control region. Gene order is identical to that of the putative ancestral arrangement of insects and other assassin bugs. Thirteen protein-coding genes initiate with ATN codons and mostly terminate with TAN codons except for COII and COIII use a single T residue as the termination codon. All tRNA sequences can be folded into classic clover-leaf secondary structure except that the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm of tRNA(Ser(AGN)) forms a simple loop, and their length range from 63 to 69 bp. The control region is 1552 bp long and includes two complete 118-bp tandem repeats and one partial copy of anterior repeat unit.
Keywords: Hemiptera; mitochondrial genome; reduviidae.