Complete mitochondrial genome of Grey-headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus (Ciconiiformes: Charadriidae)

Abstract

The Grey-headed Lapwing (Vanellus cinereus) is a Vanellus bird belonging to the group Ciconiiformes, which breeds in northeast China and Japan. In this study, we sequenced its complete mitochondrial genome by PCR-based method. The mitochondrial DNA is packaged in a compact 17,135 based pair (bp) circular molecule with A + T content of 55.14%. It contains 37 typical mitochondrial genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs and 22 tRNAs and a non-coding control region (D-loop). All protein-coding genes are initiated by ATG codon, except for the COI gene and ND5 gene starting with GTG codon, and ND3 uses ATC codon. TAA is the most frequent stop codon. All tRNAs possess the classic cloverleaf secondary structure except for tRNA^Ser(AGY) and tRNA^Leu(CUN), which lack the ‘‘DHU’’ stem. The D-loop is a 1563 bp long A + T-rich region, which is located between tRNA^Glu and tRNA^Phe.

• Complete genome
• gene arrangement
• Grey-headed Lapwing
• mitochondrial DNA
• Vanellus cinereus

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors are also responsible for the content and writing of the paper alone. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 31172117 and 3147020), the National College students’ Innovative Program of China (Grant no. 201310357175), and the Project of Collaborative Innovation Center for Mining Environmental Restoration and Wetland Ecological Safety.