Complete mitochondrial genome of the western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii, Testudines: Emydidae) in Korea

Abstract

The complete mitochondrial genome of Chrysemys picta bellii in Korea was sequenced and characterized. The mitochondrial genome consists of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes) and a noncoding region. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial genome sequences revealed that C. p. bellii from Korea formed a cluster with C. p. bellii from China and C. picta from the USA, while showing clear separation from other turtle species within the C. picta cluster. This study presented the first complete mitochondrial genome from C. p. bellii in Korea, offering crucial information for managing invasive species and protecting the local ecosystem.

Keywords:

• Chrysemys picta bellii
• Emydidae
• mitochondrial genome

Ethical statement

This study was approved by Yeongsangang River Basin Environmental Office of Korea Ministry of Environment (permission number: 2021-8). The experiments were conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines.

Authors’ contributions

According to International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria, all authors including Jaehong Park, Seung-Min Park, Jae-Hyuk Choi, Ha-Cheol Sung and Dong-Hyun Lee participated in conception and design of the work, acquisition and analysis of data, drafting and revising the work, and final approval of the version to be published. Also, all authors agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Data availability statement

GenBank accession number from the complete mitochondrial genome of Chrysemys picta bellii (OR253893) has been registered with the NCBI database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/OR253893). The associated BioProject, BioSample, and SRA accession numbers are PRJNA993820, SAMN36409323, and SRR25242840, respectively.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Korea Environment Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) through the Project for the Development of Biological Diversity Threats Outbreak Management Technology (2018002270004), funded by Korea Ministry of Environment (MOE).