The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the wild Huoba Tibetan sheep of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in China

The wild Huoba Tibetan sheep belongs to the subfamily Caprinae, which distributes in Huoba Town of Tibet Autonomous Region, China. In the present work, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of wild Huoba Tibetan sheep for the first time. The total length of the mitogenome is 16 621 bp, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a non-coding control region (D-loop region). As in other mammals, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand. Its overall base composition is A: 33.64%, T: 27.32%, C: 25.90%, and G: 13.14%, A + T (61.96%) was higher than G + C (39.04%). The phylogenetic relationships was analyzed using the complete mitogenome sequence, results show that wild Huoba Tibetan sheep should be a different species differ from the Ovis aries. These information provide an important data for further study on protection of genetic resources and the taxonomy of Caprinae.