The American lotus borer, Ostrinia penitalis, is the most ancestral among more than 20 species described in the genus Ostrinia, and the near complete mitochondrial genome sequence described here is important for phylogenetic comparisons. The 12,612 bp contiguous fragment contains 13 protein coding genes, 20 tRNAs and a partial rRNA gene complement. Compared to two previously sequenced Ostrinia mitochondrial genomes, gene order and orientation remains identical. In contrast, complete stop codons of cox2 (TAG) and atp6 (TAA) in O. penitalis show that completion of truncated stop codons in other Ostrinia are derived.
Keywords: Ancestral species; basal to genus; mitochondrial genome.