The complete mitochondrial DNA of the Cuban gar (Atractosteus tristoechus)

Abstract

The Cuban gar (Atractosteus tristoechus) is an endemic lepisosteid living in Cuba. Among gars, this species is one of the most threatened and has the smallest natural distribution range. Lepisosteids are air-breathing fishes belonging to the Holostean, a basal non-teleost clade of actinopterygians. Recent studies have indicated that these fishes could be a ‘bridge between tetrapods and teleost biomedical models’. Herein, we sequenced and assembled the first complete mitochondrial genome of A. tristoechus. The total length of the mt genome is 16,290 bp, containing the typical 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a 537 bp length control region.

Keywords

• endemic species
• freshwater fish
• lepisosteidae
• mitogenome
• phylogeny