The F type mitochondrial genome of the scorched mussel: Brachidontes exustus, (Mytiloida, Mytilidae)

Abstract

The nominal species Brachidontes exustus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a cryptic complex. Long polymerase chain reactions and direct sequencing by primer walking was used to determine the complete F type mitochondrial genome of the Gulf of Mexico clade. The genome is 16,600 bp long and contains a single large unassigned presumptive control region, 13 protein-coding genes, 23 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes, all coded for on the heavy chain. As in many other bivalves, there is the addition of tRNA-Met(AUA). The gene order is different from all other mitogenomes known for the family. The B. exustus mitogenome will contribute to a better understanding of the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of the Mytilidae.

• Bivalvia
• marine mussel
• mitogenome

Acknowledgements

The authors thank P. Arriola and S. Raimondi for helpful comments on manuscript drafts, E. Mellgren and K. McClure for discussions of technical issues, S. Leon for laboratory assistance, and S. Rice of The University of Tampa’s Marine Science Field Station for assistance during specimen collection.

Declaration of interest

This work was supported by The Elmhurst College Center for Scholarship and Teaching through a Faculty-Student Summer Collaboration Grant and Faculty Research Grants awarded to K. F. Bennett. Additional partial support came from the KEYSTONE research experience for first-year STEM students (NSF award #1160956). The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest and that they alone are responsible for the writing and content of this article.