Complete mitochondrial genome of the stoat (Mustela erminea) and New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) and their significance for mammalian phylogeny

Abstract

The complete mitochondrial genome of three mustelid species, stoats (Mustela erminea), weasels (Mustela nivalis) and ferrets (Mustela furo), and the New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) were sequenced using direct mitochondrial DNA extraction and overlapping long PCRs. The usual 37 mammalian mitochondrial genes (13 protein coding genes, 22 t-RNA and 2 r-RNA) were identified in all four mitogenomes. The divergence of stoats from other members of the sub-family Mustelinae was dated 4.5 million years ago. The mitogenomic data were consistent with a bear-like origin of seals.

Keywords:

• Bayesian
• divergence
• mitochondrial DNA
• mustela ermiea
• pinnipeds

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Corrigendum

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to North Carolina University Microbiome Core Facility and New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC), specially Dr. Laura Boren for their contributions to this research.

Disclosure statement

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

Funding information

This work was partially financed by and NIH grant P30 DK34987.

Figure 1. A Bayesian phylogenetic tree constructed for 11 members of Mustelidae, two members of Ursidea and two pinnipeds (New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) and Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelii)). The scale bar is time in millions of years.

*Species Sequenced in the current research.