Complete mitochondrial genome of the nerippe fritillary butterfly, Argynnis nerippe (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the nerippe fritillary butterfly, Argynnis nerippe, which is listed as an endangered species in Korea, is described with an emphasis on the A+T-rich region. The 15,140-bp long circular molecule consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and 1 control region, known in insect as the A+T-rich region, as found in typical metazoans. The 329-bp long A+T-rich region located between srRNA and tRNA^Met possessed the highest A/T content (95.7%) than any other region of the genome. Along with the several conserved sequences found typically in the lepidopteran insects the genome contained one tRNA^Met-like and tRNA^Leu(UUR)-like sequence in the A+T-rich region.

Keywords::

• Mitochondrial genome
• Argynnis nerippe
• endangered species
• tRNA-like sequence

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by research grants from National Institute of Biological Resources— “The Genetic Evaluation of Important Biological Resources” and “Origin of Biological Diversity of Korea: Molecular Phylogenetic Analyses of Major Korean Taxa” awarded to Iksoo Kim.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.