In this study, the authors sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of two hard ticks of the genus Ixodes, I. nipponensis and Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) sp., which were 14 505 and 14 543 bp in length, respectively. Their mt genomes encoded 37 genes, including 13 protein‐coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes and two ribosomal RNA genes, and have only one non‐coding region. The gene order in their mt genomes was the same as that of other Ixodes spp. mt genomes. The average sequence identity, combined nucleotide diversity, non‐synonymous/synonymous substitutions ratio analyses consistently demonstrated that cox1, rrnS, cox2, cox3 and cytb were the most conserved and atp8, nad6 and nad2 were the most variable genes across Ixodes mitogenomes. Phylogeny of the present Ixodes spp., and other selected hard tick species, based on concatenated amino acid sequences of PCGs, confirmed their position within the genus Ixodes and sub‐family Ixodinae. The novel mt markers described herein will be useful for further studies of the population genetics, molecular epidemiology and systematics of hard ticks.
Amblyomma javanense is an important ectoparasite of Manis javanica, although the population genetics, molecular biology and systematics of A. javanense remain poorly understood. In the present study, the mitochondrial genome of A. javanense was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq sequencing platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.) and compared with the genomes of two closely related species: Amblyomma fimbriatum and Amblyomma americanum. The intraspecies and interspecies relationships of A. javanense and another 21 selected species were investigated by constructing a maximum-likelihood tree and a neighbour-joining tree. The mitochondrial genome of A. javanense was 14 780 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and two control regions. The results of the comparisons indicate that there is great similarity among these three species, and both trees indicate that A. javanense is a member of the Amblyomminae. The study of A. javanense of pangolins also indicates the premise and foundation of the relationship between the parasite and other species.
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