Mitogenomic Architecture of Mycetophylax conformis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Evidence for Conserved Gene Order and Strand Asymmetry in Myrmicinae
摘要
Mitochondrial genomes are powerful tools for investigating the evolutionary dynamics and genetic diversity of social insects, particularly ants. Here, we present the complete mitochondrial genome of Mycetophylax conformis, a psammophilous, fungus-farming ant endemic to the Atlantic coastal sand dunes of southeastern Brazil. The circular mitogenome is 16,455 base pairs long and includes the canonical 37 genes: 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and a control region (CR). Gene content and order are consistent with those of other Myrmicinae ants. The nucleotide composition is strongly biased toward adenine and thymine (A+T = 82.1%) and exhibits moderate strand asymmetries, with an AT-skew of − 0.111 and a GC-skew of − 0.171. No large intergenic spacers or atypical structural features were identified, suggesting a highly conserved genomic architecture. This newly assembled mitogenome enhances the representation of Neoattina in mitochondrial databases and provides a valuable reference for future evolutionary, ecological, and comparative genomic studies of fungus-farming ants.