J Antonio Baeza, Rodolfo Umaña-Castro, Donald C Behringer, Arcadio Castillo
{"title":"A cryptic species of the nemertean egg predator <i>Carcinonemertes conanobrieni</i> (Simpson et al., 2017) detected using a barcoding approach infects the Caribbean spiny lobster <i>Panulirus argus</i> (Latreille, 1804) in the southwestern Caribbean Sea.","authors":"J Antonio Baeza, Rodolfo Umaña-Castro, Donald C Behringer, Arcadio Castillo","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2025.2499461","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2025.2499461","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A recently discovered nemertean egg predator, <i>Carcinonemertes conanobrieni</i>, inhabiting <i>Panulirus argus</i> egg masses poses a potential threat to this ecologically and commercially relevant lobster. This study assessed the prevalence of <i>C. conanobrieni</i> in the southwestern Caribbean Sea; Costa Rica and Panama. Brooding females of <i>P. argus</i> were collected by fishermen near Punta Uva beach, Costa Rica (<i>n</i> = 17), and Guna Yala, Panama (<i>n</i> = 19) and examined for the presence of <i>C. conanobrieni</i>. Prevalence of <i>C. conanobrieni</i> in brooding lobsters, determined as the presence/absence of adults, juveniles, encysted juvenile worms, or carcinonemertid egg masses was 47.06% and 31.58% in Costa Rica and Panama, respectively. Moreover, when indirect evidence (empty capsules and/or dead embryos presumably attacked/consumed by worms) of the presence of <i>C. conanobrieni</i> in brooding lobsters is considered in addition to direct evidence, prevalence of <i>C. conanobrieni</i> in brooding lobsters was 64.71% and 47.37% in Costa Rica and Panama, respectively. The observations suggest that this parasitic worm completes its life cycle locally in the southwestern Caribbean. Notably, a Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on a fragment of the mitochondrial <i>cox1</i> gene clustered two specimens collected in Costa Rica together with four other specimens previously collected in Saint Kitts into a single fully supported monophyletic clade that segregated from a second clade containing six specimens of <i>C. conanobrieni</i> collected in Colombia, Florida, and Saint Kitts. The barcoding analysis suggests that there is an undescribed species of <i>Carcinonemertes</i>, anatomically like <i>C. conanobrieni</i>, infecting <i>P. argus</i> in Costa Rica.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"General features and evolution of mitochondrial genomes in Dictyostelia (Amoebozoa).","authors":"Kamonchat Prommarit, Thanyaporn Chittavichai, Supanut Utthiya, Sukhita Sathitnaitham, Supachai Vuttipongchaikij, Passorn Wonnapinij","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2025.2487451","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2025.2487451","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dictyostelia exhibits high diversity; however, mitochondrial genome data remain scarce for many genera. Although key features of some dictyostelid mitogenomes have been identified, several aspects remain unclear, including core gene content, segmental arrangement, and differences between 18S rRNA and mitochondrial gene phylogenies. To address these gaps, we reconstructed two complete mitogenomes-from <i>Cavenderia subdiscoidea</i> and <i>Dictyostelium</i> sp. (TH18CC)-and analyzed mitochondrial genes from ten genera and six additional complete mitogenomes from public databases. A comparison of eight complete mitogenomes revealed a conserved core of 39 protein-coding genes, 17 tRNA genes, and three rRNA genes. Two distinct segmental arrangements were identified: <i>Dictyostelium</i> (except <i>D. purpureum</i>) exhibits an A-C-B pattern, while other genera display an A-B-C pattern defined by the clusters <i>nad9</i>-<i>atp1</i>, <i>trnC</i>(GCA)-<i>atp9</i>, and <i>rnl</i>-<i>nad3</i>. Phylogenetic analyses based on 18S rDNA and mitochondrial <i>rns</i> suggest the transposition between segments B and C occurred after <i>D. purpureum</i> diverged from other <i>Dictyostelium</i> species, potentially involving tRNA gene displacement. In contrast, the mitochondrial protein-coding gene phylogeny differs from the rRNA trees, indicating that these gene sets may have evolved independently. These findings advance our understanding of dictyostelid mitogenome structure and evolution.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143804959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genetic diversity, population genetic structure and demographic history of the Ribbontail stingray <i>Taeniura lymma</i> (Fabricius, 1775) (elasmobranchii: myliobatiformes: dasyatidae) along the Tanzanian coastline.","authors":"Alex Nehemia","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2427841","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2427841","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Ribbontail stingray <i>Taeniura lymma</i> is an economically important fish and attractive species for the aquarium trade industry. Overfishing, habitat degradation, and pollution, however, pose a threat to this species. This study used partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences (603 base pairs long) from 96 samples of <i>T. lymma</i> collected at five fish-landing sites (Deep Sea-Tanga, Malindi-Unguja, Kaole-Bagamoyo, Kivukoni-Dar es Salaam, and Bandarini-Mtwara) located along the coast of Tanzania to determine the species' genetic diversity, population genetic structure, and demographic history. The findings revealed an average nucleotide diversity of 0.24 ± 0.16% and a haplotype diversity of 0.75 ± 0.04. Nucleotide and haplotype diversities were relatively low at Kaole-Bagamoyo compared to the other studied localities. An Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) indicated limited but statistically significant genetic differences among populations (Overall F<sub>ST</sub> = 0.09, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Pairwise AMOVA revealed genetic difference between the Deep Sea-Tanga population and all other populations studied with exception of Malindi-Unguja. Analyses of mismatch distribution, demographic history, and a haplotype network support a scenario of historical population expansion in the studied species. Immediate effort is required to protect population exhibiting low genetic diversity in this commercially important ray.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"93-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Priscila Martins de Assis, Igor Henrique Rodrigues-Oliveira, Iuri Batista da Silva, Rubens Pasa, Fabiano B Menegidio, Karine Frehner Kavalco
{"title":"Description and characterization of the small mitochondrial genome of <i>Trichoderma cerinum</i> (Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae) and its evolutionary perspectives.","authors":"Priscila Martins de Assis, Igor Henrique Rodrigues-Oliveira, Iuri Batista da Silva, Rubens Pasa, Fabiano B Menegidio, Karine Frehner Kavalco","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2025.2482202","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2025.2482202","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Trichoderma</i> Persoon (1794) is a genus of fungus found in soils and decaying wood all over the world. We present the assembly and annotation of the mitochondrial genome of <i>Trichoderma cerinum</i> Bissett, Kubicek & Szakacs (2003) and an assessment of the phylogeny of the group, discussing the loss and gain of shared genes in the evolutionary history of fungi. We downloaded the raw data of <i>T. cerinum</i> from the NCBI database and exported it to the Galaxy Europe platform, where we performed the mitogenome assembly using the NOVOplasty tool. We used three tools for annotation. The phylogeny was conducted with 12 <i>Trichoderma</i> species and the <i>T. cerinum. Fusarium oxysporum</i> was used as an outgroup. We got a circularized mitochondrial genome of 26,696 bp, with 15 protein-coding genes, 25 tRNAs, two rRNAs, two endonuclease sequences, and an <i>orf40</i>. This species contains only one intron in the <i>cob</i> gene. In our phylogenetic reconstruction, <i>T. cerinum</i> was recovered as a sister group of a clade containing <i>Trichoderma lixii</i>, <i>Trichoderma afroharzianum</i>, <i>Trichoderma simmonsii</i>, and <i>Trichoderma harzianum</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"126-134"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143674999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Azat R Kuluev, Rustam T Matniyazov, Bulat R Kuluev, Dmitry A Chemeris, Alexey V Chemeris
{"title":"Complete chloroplast genomes of five <i>Aegilops aucheri</i> Boiss. accessions having different geographical origins.","authors":"Azat R Kuluev, Rustam T Matniyazov, Bulat R Kuluev, Dmitry A Chemeris, Alexey V Chemeris","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2025.2476401","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2025.2476401","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The subject of this study is <i>Aegilops aucheri</i> Boiss. 1844: a member of the section <i>Sitopsis</i>, subsection <i>Truncata</i>. This species is infrequently included in phylogenetic studies and is commonly regarded as a heterotypic synonym of <i>Aegilops speltoides</i> Tausch. The aim of this study was to detect genetic differences between <i>Ae. aucheri</i> and <i>Ae. speltoides</i> using the phylogenetic signal retrieved from chloroplast genomes. Plastomes of five <i>Ae. aucheri</i> accessions from different geographical locations were sequenced, annotated, and subjected to a phylogenetic analysis. Plastome sizes were found to range between 135,666 and 135,668 bp in <i>Ae. aucheri</i>. Comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome sequences from five <i>Ae. aucheri</i> accessions revealed single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions/deletions (indels) relative to the <i>Ae. speltoides</i> plastome. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic divergence within the <i>Truncata</i> subsection, sequencing the nuclear genome of <i>Ae. aucheri</i> and comparing it to that of <i>Ae. speltoides</i> is essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"119-125"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143618016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Suvi Olli, Nok Ting Lam, Siri Hiljanen, Taru Kettunen, Laura Haikonen, Heidi-Mari Hyvönen, Angelika Kiebler, Ida Köngäs, Saana Minkkinen, Veera Pöykiö, Ville Sannikka, Ronja Vesa, Gerrit Wehrenberg, Stefan Prost, Marko Prous
{"title":"Large mitochondrial genomes in tenthredinid sawflies (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae).","authors":"Suvi Olli, Nok Ting Lam, Siri Hiljanen, Taru Kettunen, Laura Haikonen, Heidi-Mari Hyvönen, Angelika Kiebler, Ida Köngäs, Saana Minkkinen, Veera Pöykiö, Ville Sannikka, Ronja Vesa, Gerrit Wehrenberg, Stefan Prost, Marko Prous","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2427206","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2427206","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We sequenced and assembled mitochondrial genomes of three tenthredinid sawflies (<i>Euura poecilonota</i>, <i>E. striata</i>, and <i>Dolerus timidus</i>) using Oxford Nanopore Technologies' MinION. The Canu assembler produced circular assemblies (23,000-40,000 bp). Still, errors were found in the highly repetitive non-coding control region because of the fragmented DNA which led to no reads spanning the complete control region, preventing its reliable assembly. Based on the non-repetitive coding region's sequencing coverage, we estimate the lengths of mitochondrial genomes of <i>E. poecilonota</i>, <i>D. timidus</i>, and <i>E. striata</i> to be about 30,000 bp, 31,000 bp, and 37,000 bp and control region to be 15,000 bp, 16,000 bp, and 22,000 bp respectively. All standard bilaterian mitochondrial genes are in the same order and orientation, except <i>trnQ</i>, which is on the minus strand in <i>Euura</i> and the plus strand in <i>Dolerus</i>. Using published tenthredinid genome data, we show that control region lengths are often underestimated.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"84-92"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142633907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sandra Ludwig, Lais Amorim, Ana C Barcelos, Paula R Guimarães, Sarah M Vargas
{"title":"Inferring the origin of new D-loop haplotypes of loggerhead sea turtles (Testudinata: Cheloniidae) from the Southwest Atlantic lineage.","authors":"Sandra Ludwig, Lais Amorim, Ana C Barcelos, Paula R Guimarães, Sarah M Vargas","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2409067","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2409067","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The populations of the loggerhead turtles, <i>Caretta caretta,</i> present four main D-loop mitochondrial haplogroups that are distributed across the Indo-Pacific, Mediterranean, and Atlantic oceans. The Southwestern Atlantic (SWA) is one of the Regional Management Units (RMUs) of loggerheads, characterized by unique haplotypes, high nest density, and distinct life history traits. Detecting new D-loop haplogroups is important, particularly endemic ones, as they can enhance our understanding of their life history within the RMUs and contribute to the resolution of mixed stock analysis. In this study, we conducted a series of phylogenetic delimitation and network analyses to identify, validate, and infer the origin of four new D-loop haplotypes detected in the loggerhead populations from the SWA. Our findings demonstrate that these new D-loop haplotypes are valid and unique to the SWA lineage, potentially aiding in the delimitation of individuals' origins and the inference of their lineage.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"67-74"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142333936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaoli Liu, Yun Fu, Jizhuang Liu, Xinxin Li, Yuan Li, Di Meng, Yang Hu, Tao Sun
{"title":"The complete mitochondrial genome of the grasshopper <i>Chorthippus dubius</i> (Zub.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae): detailed characterization and phylogenetic position.","authors":"Xiaoli Liu, Yun Fu, Jizhuang Liu, Xinxin Li, Yuan Li, Di Meng, Yang Hu, Tao Sun","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2446772","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/24701394.2024.2446772","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Chorthippus dubius</i> (Zub.) is one of the dominant grasshopper species. The limited data on <i>Ch. dubius</i> (Zub.) has impeded further understanding of its genetic characteristics and molecular detection. In this study, we analyzed the mitogenome of <i>Ch. dubius</i> (Zub.), which was 15,561 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and an AT-rich region. The entire mtDNA exhibited a strong AT bias, with an overall A+T content of 74.8%. The relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis revealed UUA (L) as the most frequently used codon. All the PCGs evolved under purifying selection (Ka/Ks <0.5), with <i>ATP8</i> gene exhibited the highest Ka/Ks ratio. Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses reconstructed two topologically similar phylogenetic trees, and supported the monophly of the six subfamilies in Acrididae. Our results indicated two stable clades of the six subfamilies, with Oedipodinae emerging as the ancestral taxon and being sister group to the remaining taxa. In the alternative phylogenetic lineage, the remaining five subfamilies clustered the following relationship: Gomphocernae + (Acridinae + (Calliptaminae + (Melanoplinae + Oxyinae))). Both phylogenetic trees exhibited a closer relationship between <i>Chorthippus dubius</i> (Zub.) and <i>Chorthippus aethalinus</i>, members from the same genus.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":"35 3-4","pages":"111-118"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144055101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Comparative selective pressure analysis on mitochondrial protein-coding genes in flying squirrels (Pteromyini) and tree squirrels (Sciurini).","authors":"Feiyun Tu, Yaqin Qiao, Wenjing Zhao, Tong Wu","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2416179","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2416179","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Different animal groups with varying locomotion modes may have unique energy requirements. Mitochondria produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reactive oxygen species via oxidative phosphorylation to support organisms energy requirements. The tribes Pteromyini (flying squirrels) and Sciurini (tree squirrels), two closely related taxa within the family Sciuridae, exhibit distinct locomotion modes, energy requirements, and likely face different selective pressures on mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs). We analysed 13 mitochondrial genome sequences from species belonging to the tribe Pteromyini and 117 from species belonging to the tribe Sciurini. Phylogenetic analysis revealed Pteromyini and Sciurini formed a sister relationship within the family Sciuridae. Among the 13 PCGs, <i>ATP8</i> exhibited the highest dN/dS values, while <i>COX1</i> showed the lowest. The background selection ratio (ω<sub>2</sub>) values for six genes (<i>ND1</i>, <i>ND2</i>, <i>ND4</i>, <i>ATP6</i>, <i>ND5</i>, and <i>COX3</i>) in Pteromyini were lower than the foreground selection ratio (ω<sub>0</sub>) values observed in Sciurini. A RELAX analysis revealed that <i>CYTB</i>, <i>ND4</i>, <i>ATP6</i>, and <i>COX3</i> genes experienced intensified in selection strength. BUSTED analysis identified stronger signatures of diversifying selection in <i>CYTB</i> and <i>ATP6</i>, highlighting amino acid changes. MEME identified episodic diversifying selection at specific sites among eight PCGs. These findings revealed distinct selective pressures on PCGs in flying and tree squirrels.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"75-83"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142482475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Igor Henrique Rodrigues-Oliveira, Iuri Batista da Silva, Renan Rodrigues Rocha, Rafael Augusto Silva Soares, Fabiano Bezerra Menegidio, Caroline Garcia, Rubens Pasa, Karine Frehner Kavalco
{"title":"When paleontology meets genomics: complete mitochondrial genomes of two saber-toothed cats' species (Felidae: Machairodontinae).","authors":"Igor Henrique Rodrigues-Oliveira, Iuri Batista da Silva, Renan Rodrigues Rocha, Rafael Augusto Silva Soares, Fabiano Bezerra Menegidio, Caroline Garcia, Rubens Pasa, Karine Frehner Kavalco","doi":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2439433","DOIUrl":"10.1080/24701394.2024.2439433","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Within the Machairodontinae subfamily, commonly referred to as saber-toothed cats, it is worth noting that only two species, namely <i>Homotherium latidens</i>, recognized as the scimitar-toothed cat, and <i>Smilodon populator</i>, renowned as the saber-toothed tiger, possess partial mitochondrial genomes accessible in the NCBI database. These sequences, however, do not include the mitogenome control region (mtDNA control region) and have several gaps in their genes, including protein-coding genes (PCGs) that are widely used in phylogenetic analysis. In this study, we aimed to obtain a complete assembly of the mitogenomes of these two species from next-generation sequencing data available at NCBI's SRA. The <i>de novo</i> assemblies showed complete mitogenomes with 17,323bp (<i>H. latidens</i>) and 16,769 bp (<i>S. populator</i>), both with 13 PCGs, 22tRNAs, two rRNAs and the mtDNA control region, with all genes following the standard order and position of most vertebrate mitogenomes. Despite being generally very similar to previous studies, our phylogeny and molecular dating reveals an earliest divergence between North American and North Sea <i>H. latidens</i> specimens which may be related to an Early Pleistocene migration across Beringia.</p>","PeriodicalId":74204,"journal":{"name":"Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA mapping, sequencing, and analysis","volume":" ","pages":"102-110"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142792884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}