Phylogenetic inference of Plebejus argus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) using its complete mitochondrial genome with an extra copy of tRNASer

The silver-studded blue butterfly Plebejus argus (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) has a mitochondrial genome of 15,426 bp. It consists 13 protein-coding genes, 23 tRNAs with an extra copy of tRNA(Ser), two ribosomal RNA genes, and an AT-rich control region. Using whole mitogenome alignments, we reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships of 23 butterfly species within six families (11 taxa are from Lycaenidae). The maximum-likelihood (ML) tree topology was consistent with previous studies, which suggested a close relationship between the genus Plebejus and Cupido.