Complete mitochondrial genomes of five subspecies of the Eurasian magpie Pica pica, obtained with Oxford Nanopore MinION, and their interpretation regarding intraspecific taxonomy

Abstract

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of five subspecies of the Eurasian (Common) magpie Pica pica were determined for the first time. Lengths of the circular genomes comprise 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes (for 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), 22 tRNA genes, and the non-coding control region (CR). Gene content and lengths of the genomes (16,936–16,945 bp) are similar to typical vertebrate mt genomes. The subspecies studied differs by several single substitutions and indels, especially in the CR. The phylogenetic tree based on complete mt genomes shows a deep divergence of the two groups of subspecies which supports the proposed division into two distinct species: P. pica and P. serica.

Keywords

• mitochondrial genome
• eurasian magpie
• pica pica
• pica serica
• corvidae