The complete mitogenome of the Formosan termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki

The Formosan termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki is a well-known invasive pest that causes severe damage to wooden structures in many parts of the world. Although several studies examined its phylogeographic patterns using a few mitochondrial genes, the phylogenetic relationships among C. formosanus are poorly understood because of the small number of mutations known among its mitochondrial genes. To provide a useful genetic tool for further analyses, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of C. formosanus using specimens collected from three isolated islands in the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan. The circular mitogenome of these termites consisted of genes encoding 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and 13 mitochondrial proteins, as is the case for most animal mitochondrial genomes. The G + C content was 34.1%, and the total length varied slightly between 16,234 and 16,236 base pairs. The complete mitochondrial genomes of the three populations were more than 99.9% identical to each other and showed differences at six nucleotide positions. The COII, 12S rRNA, and 16S rRNA genes that are commonly used for phylogenetic analyses revealed only one substitution or no substitutions. The mitogenome sequences determined here should contribute to the design of new molecular markers for the clarification of the historical distribution process of C. formosanus and for further phylogenetic analyses with this and related termite species.