Comparison of complete mitochondrial DNA sequences between old and new world strains of the cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Mitochondrial DNA provides useful tools for inferring population genetic structure within a species and phylogenetic relationships between species. The complete mitogenome sequences were assembled from strains of the cowpea aphids, Aphis craccivora, from the old (15,308bp) and new world (15,305bp) using shotgun Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequence reads. The A. craccivora mitogenomes have 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs in the same order and orientation found among Insecta. The two A. craccivora mitogenomes do not contain long intergenic repeats as found in other members of the family Aphididae. Comparisons between strains indicated a 99.7% sequence identity, wherein 57 and 11 substitutions were respectively predicted among reads from new and old world strains. Among these substitutions, 31 and 2 were in PCGs of new world and old world aphids, respectively, and out of which 28 and 2 were nonsynonymous. A majority of the substitutions were in NADH Dehydrogenase subunit 1. Phylogenetic analysis of full mitogenomes sequences predicted that Aphididae as monophyletic and clustered with Pterocommatinae and Aphidinae at subfamily level.