Abstract
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the serpent mudskipper Parapocryptes serperaster was first determined in this study. The circle genome was 17 243 bp long and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 1 control region. The nucleotide composition of the heavy strand of P. serperaster is 28.65% for A, 30.07% for C, 25.31% for T, and 15.97% for G, with a slight A + T bias of 53.96%. Only the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) and eight tRNA genes were encoded on the light strand, all other mitochondrial genes were encoded on the heavy strand. A 178-bp tandem repeat, which started from the 827-bp site of the control region, was identified. Like most other gobies, P. serperaster also has the typical vertebrate mitochondrial gene arrangement. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the kinship between Parapocryptes and Boleophthalmus is closer than those between Parapocryptes and other selected genera.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40976095), Xiamen University President Research Award (2013121044), and Xiamen Southern Oceanographic Center (No. 13GST001NF13).