We analysed mitochondrial control region sequences of Procapra picticaudata (Tibetan gazelle) in northern Sikkim, India, to assess its genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationship, and demographic history. We identified 12 haplotypes from 24 successfully amplified fecal samples, exhibiting high haplotype diversity (h = 0.916) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00627). Bayesian phylogenetic analyses revealed that Sikkim haplotypes did not form a geographically exclusive clade; instead, they clustered with Tibetan Plateau haplotypes, whereas Chinese mountain samples formed a distinct lineage. Considerable genetic distance was observed between Indian and Chinese P. picticaudata and P. przewalskii. The newly generated sequences provide baseline information for future range-wide population genetic assessments and conservation planning for this small peripheral population.
The family Bagridae comprises a diverse group of freshwater catfishes distributed throughout Asia and Africa; however, several genera remain poorly represented in genomic studies. Among them, the monotypic genus Bagroides has lacked complete mitochondrial genomic data, limiting our understanding of its evolutionary history and phylogenetic position. Here, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Bagroides melapterus, providing the inaugural mitogenomic resource for the genus. The complete mitogenome of B. melapterus, a circular molecule of 16,542 bp with a GC content of 43.6
The order Scorpiones represents a lineage of arachnids that has exhibited considerable evolutionary success, encompassing over 1700 recognized species. However, the mitogenomes within this group have received limited attention. To increase the taxonomic sampling of species available for studies based on mitogenomes, we reconstructed the complete mitogenome of Androctonus crassicauda Olivier, 1807 (Scorpiones, Buthidae). The specimen was obtained from insect markets in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. The mitogenome is a circular molecule with a length of 14,834 bp. The proportion of adenine and thymine (A + T) was 67.3
Sex-ratio distorters (SRDs) are heritable elements that bias offspring sex-ratios to enhance their transmission. In the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare, feminization of genetic males can occur through vertical transmission of the sex-ratio distorter known as the f-element, as well as through infection by Wolbachia, a maternally inherited bacterial endosymbiont that can alter host reproduction. We investigated whether associations between sex-ratio distorters and mitochondrial haplotypes in U.S. populations differ from those reported in European populations. To address this, we sampled A. vulgare from 12 U.S. states and screened individuals for Wolbachia infection, the presence of the f-element, and mitochondrial COI haplotypes. We found that Wolbachia exhibits a heterogeneous distribution across populations and haplotypes, in contrast to the stronger associations observed in European populations. The f-element occurred at lower overall frequencies but showed a strong association with mitochondrial haplotype VI. These results indicate that patterns associated with SRDs differ from those observed in Europe and are consistent with multiple introductions and population mixing shaping these distributions in U.S. populations.
