Complete mitochondrial genomes of Tuatara endemic to different islands of New Zealand

Abstract

Tuatara are the sister taxon to the Squamata (including lizards and snakes) and are regarded as the most distinctive surviving reptilian genus. They are currently inhabits on offshore islands around New Zealand and have been recognized as a species in need of active conservation management. In this study, we report a total number of five nearly complete mitochondrial genomes, which were sequenced by Sanger and Next Generation DNA sequencing methods. Our phylogenomic analysis revealed distinct clustering of tuatara populations from the north and south islands of New Zealand.

• Mitochondrial genome
• mtDNA
• sphenodon
• tuatara

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank C. H. Daugherty and N. Nelson and J. M. Hay for providing us with samples. This research project was supported by a scholarship to E. M. from the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution. The project was also supported by Griffith University.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.