The penguin tetra (Thayeria boehlkei) is one of the most popular aquarium fish and belongs to the family of Characidae. The composition, phylogeny, and classification of this family are uncertain. Here, the complete mitogenome of T. boehlkei was reported to be 16,524 bp in length. It contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. Comparing the mitochondrial genome of T. boehlkei with its congener Astyanax mexicanus revealed high-sequence similarity. The mitochondrial genome of T. boehlkei will contribute to conservation studies and evolution analysis of Characidae family.
Keywords: Characidae; Thayeria boehlkei; mitochondrial genome.