Identification of the complete mitochondrial genome of the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus (Sphenisciformes: Spheniscidae: Aptenodytes)

Jing Du; Jia-Shen Tian; Zhi-Chuang Lu; Sheng-Jiu Zhang; Xin-Ran Song; Gui-Ying Liu; Jia-Bo Han

doi:10.1080/23802359.2019.1623121

Identification of the complete mitochondrial genome of the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus (Sphenisciformes: Spheniscidae: Aptenodytes)

Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2019 Jul 10;4(2):2191-2192. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2019.1623121.

Authors

Jing Du¹, Jia-Shen Tian¹, Zhi-Chuang Lu¹, Sheng-Jiu Zhang², Xin-Ran Song², Gui-Ying Liu¹, Jia-Bo Han¹

Affiliations

¹ Dalian Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Marine mammals, Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institute, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
² Dalian Sun Asia Tourism Holding Co., Ltd, Dalian, Liaoning, China.

Abstract

The complete mitochondrial genome of the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus was firstly determined. The mitogenome is 17,477 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a control region. The total nucleotide composition is 31.0% A, 22.2% T, 33.1% C, and 13.8% G, with a total A + T content of 53.2%. The phylogenetic analysis demonstrates a close relationship between A. patagonicus and A. forsteri. These results provide fundamental information for further phylogeny and genetic studies on Aptenodytes genus.

Keywords: Aptenodytes patagonicus; complete mitochondrial genome; phylogenetic status.