The mitochondrial genomes of Macrocheraia grandis grandis and Myrmoplasta mira (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha) and the mitochondrial genomes of Macrocheraia grandis grandis and Myrmoplasta mira (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha) and the unique mitogenome rearrangement in Pyrrhocoroidea
Abstract
Sequencing technology has developed rapidly in recent years. Complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of 155 species from 47 families in Heteroptera have been sequenced.
However, the amounts of mitogenomes between those families are unbalanced, which makes it difficult to correctly discern the patterns of mitogenome rearrangement in Heteroptera. Among 21 species from ten families, ten variations in mitogenome rearrangement had been previously reported, among which the translocation between tRNA-Thr and tRNA-Pro was considered as a synapomorphy of Pyrrhocoroidea based on two mitogenomes.
As only one mitogenome in each of Largidae and Pyrrhocoridae had been sequenced to conclude the synapomorphy, more mitogenomes of Pyrrhocoroidea need to be explored. In this study, additional two mitogenomes of Pyrrhocoroidea (Macrocheraia grandis grandis (Gray, 1832) and Myrmoplasta mira Gerstäcker, 1892) were sequenced.
Both of them also possess the same translocation between tRNA-Thr and tRNA-Pro, which reaffirms that this kind of rearrangement is a molecular synapomorphy of Pyrrhocoroidea. Moreover, we discovered a more complex rearrangement in Myrmoplasta mira, in which six nearly identical duplications of tRNA-Thr were found located downstream of tRNA-Pro.
Considering the high biodiversity of Heteroptera, more mitogenomic studies are needed to improve our knowledge about mitogenome rearrangements and the potential synapomorphies.