The complete mitochondrial genome of the Papilio paris (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Phylogenetic and Comparative Genomics Study of Papilionidae Based on Mitochondrial Genomes

Most species of Papilionidae are large and beautiful ornamental butterflies. They are recognized as model organisms in ecology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and conservation biology but present numerous unresolved phylogenetic problems. Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) have been widely used in phylogenetic studies of butterflies, but mitogenome knowledge within the family Papilionidae is limited, and its phylogeny is far from resolved. In this study, we first report the mitogenome of Byasa confusa from the subfamily Papilioninae of Papilionidae. The mitogenome of B. confusa is 15,135 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and an AT-rich control region (CR), closely mirroring the genomic structure observed in related butterfly species. Comparative analysis of 77 Papilionidae mitogenomes shows gene composition and order to be identical to that of an ancestral insect, and the AT bias, Ka/Ks, and relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) are all consistent with that of other reported butterfly mitogenomes. We conducted phylogenetic analyses using maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian-inference (BI) methods, with 77 Papilionidae species as ingroups and two species of Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae as outgroups. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that B. confusa were clustered within Byasa. The phylogenetic trees show the monophyly of the subfamily Papilioninae and the tribes Leptocircini, Papilionini, and Troidini. The data supported the following relationships in tribe level on Papilioninae: (((Troidini + Papilionini) + Teinopalpini) + Leptocircini). The divergence time analysis suggests that Papilionidae originated in the late Creataceous. Overall, utilizing the largest number of Papilionidae mitogenomes sequenced to date, with the current first exploration in a phylogenetic analysis on Papilionidae (including four subfamilies), this study comprehensively reveals the mitogenome characteristics and mitogenome-based phylogeny, providing information for further studies on the mitogenome, phylogeny, evolution, and taxonomic revision of the Papilionidae family.

Complete mitochondrial genome data and phylogenetic analysis of Papilio macilentus Janson, 1877 (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea: Papilionidae)

In the present study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the Papilio macilentus (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea: Papilionidae) was sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The mitochondrial genome is a circular DNA molecule of 15,264 bp in size with 80.7% AT content, including 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes), and a long non-coding region (Control region). All protein-coding genes are initiated by ATN codons, and terminated with TAA, TAG, or single T. All tRNAs can be folded into common clover leaf secondary structure, except trn-S1. Phylogenetic analyses based on 13 protein-coding genes and 2 rRNA genes using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference confirmed that P. macilentus and Papilio memnon are clustered into a clade, and revealed the relationships between Papilionini, Troidini, Teinopaippini and Leptocircini.

The complete mitochondrial genome data of the Common Rose butterfly, Pachliopta aristolochiae (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea, Papilionidae) from Malaysia

Here, we present the complete mitochondrial genome of Pachliopta aristolochiae, a Common Rose butterfly from Malaysia. The sequence was generated using Illumina NovaSeq 6000 sequencing platform. The mitogenome is 15,235bp long, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and two D-loop regions. The total base composition was (81.6%), with A (39.3%), T (42.3%), C (11.0%) and G (7.3%). The gene order of the three tRNAs was trnM-trnI-trnQ, which differs from the ancestral insect gene order trnI-trnQ-trnM. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the sequenced Pachliopta aristolochiae in this data is closely related to Losaria neptunus (NC 037868), with highly supported ML and BI analysis. The data presented in this work can provide useful resources for other researchers to study deeper into the phylogenetic relationships of Lepidoptera and the diversification of the Pachliopta species. Also, as one of the bioindicator species, this data can be used to assess environmental changes in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem via enviromental DNA approahes. The mitogenome of Pachliopta aristolochiae is available in GenBank under the accession number MZ781228.

The validity of the subspecies, Teinopalpus aureus wuyiensis Lee, from complete mitochondrial genome

The complete mitochondrial genome (mtgenome) was determined from the emerged-pupa shell (Noninvasive sampling) of T. aureus wuyiensis Lee. It was 15,234 base pairs in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a control region. By taking Meandrusa sciron and Teinopalpus imperialis as outgroups, a maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed among five geographical populations of Teinopalpus aureus based on 13 PCGs and two rRNA genes. Our results showed that the WYS, MHS and PS populations, locating at or closing to Wuyishan Mountain-range, were in one cluster; while the JLS (locating at Nanling Mountain-range) and DYS (locating at Dayaoshan Mountain closing to Nanling Mountain-range) populations belonged to another cluster. It supported well the subspecies of T. aureus wuyiensis, and suggested that the genetic relationship between T. a. guangxiensis and the nominal subspecies of T. a. aureus were closer enough to combine into one subspecies.

Organization and phylogenetic relationships of the mitochondrial genomes of Speiredonia retorta and other lepidopteran insects

In this study, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Speiredonia retorta, which is a pest and a member of the Lepidoptera order. In total, the S. retorta mitogenome was found to contain 15,652 base pairs encoding 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, as well as an adenine (A) + thymine (T)-rich region. These findings were consistent with the mitogenome composition of other lepidopterans, as we identified all 13 PCGs beginning at ATN codons. We also found that 11 PCGs terminated with canonical stop codons, whereas cox2 and nad4 exhibited incomplete termination codons. By analyzing the mitogenome of S. retorta using Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) models, we were able to further confirm that this species is a member of the Erebidae family.