The complete mitogenome of the Critically Endangered smalltooth sand tiger shark, Odontaspis ferox (Lamniformes: Odontaspididae)

Abstract

Here, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome for the smalltooth sand tiger shark, Odontaspis ferox (Risso, 1810). The circular mitochondrial genome was found to be 16,682 bp in length and contains 37 genes, a control region and the replication origin of the L-strand (O_L). The base composition of this mitogenome is 32.6% A, 23.3% C, 12.8% G, and 31.3% T. Phylogenetic analysis of Lamniformes indicates that O. ferox did not group with Carcharias taurus and so the taxonomic classification of Odontaspididae needs to be revised. This study promotes conservation genetics for this poorly studied shark species which is listed critically endangered in the Mediterranean Sea.

Keywords:

• Mitochondrial genome
• phylogeny
• Odontaspididae
• Odontaspis ferox

Ethical approval

This study did not require ethical approval as it made use of muscle tissue collected from a dead specimen that was caught by a local fishermen and was sold at the local fish market.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Maltese fishermen and the Ministry for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change for supporting this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in GenBank (accession no. MT702386) at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genbank/.

Additional information

Funding

The research disclosed in this publication has been funded through REACH HIGH Scholars Programme-Post Doctoral Grants and Bio.Con_Innovate Research Fund Award by the University of Malta. The former is part-financed by the European Union, Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2014–2020 ‘Investing in Human Capital to Create More Opportunities and Promote the Well-Being of Society’ – European Social Fund.