Sequence and organisation of the mitochondrial genome of Japanese Grosbeak ( Eophona personata ), and the phylogenetic relationships of Fringillidae

Abstract

Mitochondrial DNA is a useful molecular marker for phylogenetic and evolutionary analysis. In the current study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of Eophona personata , the Japanese Grosbeak, and the phylogenetic relationships of E. personata and 16 other species of the family Fringillidae based on the sequences of 12 mitochondrial protein-coding genes. The mitochondrial genome of E. personata consists of 16,771 base pairs, and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and one control region. Analysis of the base composition revealed an A+T bias, a positive AT skew and a negative GC skew. The mitochondrial gene order and arrangement in E. personata was similar to the typical avian mitochondrial gene arrangement. Phylogenetic analysis of 17 species of Fringillidae , based on Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimation, showed that the genera Coccothraustes and Hesperiphona are closely related to the genus Eophona , and further showed a sister-group relationship of E. personata and E. migratoria .