The complete mitochondrial genome of the Adonis ladybird, Hippodamia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Abstract

Hippodamia variegata is an important predator of aphid pests. In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of H. variegata. The mitogenome is 17,823 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and one non-coding control region. Initiation codons ATA, ATG, ATT, and AAT were identified in two, five, five, and one PCGs, respectively, whereas stop codons TAA or TAG were found in eight genes except for five genes which use incomplete stop codon T–. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that three species in Hippodamia (H. variegata, H. convergens, and H. undecimnotata) were closely related and had a close relationship with the genus Harmonia.

Keywords

• hippodamia variegata
• coccinellidae
• mitochondrial genome
• phylogenetic analysis