To better understand the evolution of mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) in the Tarantula family, we investigated the evolution of mitochondrial genomes in four species of Tarantulas (Grammostora pulchripes, Formictopus atrichomatus, Pterinochyrus murinus and Pterinopelma sajmai) were discovered for the first time. All mitogenomes had a classical circular structure and ranged in length from 13,822 bp to 14,011 bp. The constituent genes and coding strand orientation observed in the four mitogenomes were consistent with those seen in other species belonging to the family Theraphosidae. The four mitogenomes were condensed, with a preference for A and T, and the rRNA sequences showed a high A+T content. Ka/Ks and p distance analyses revealed ND6 The rate of genetic evolution was the fastest, COâ… The genes showed a relatively slow evolution. In contrast to previous phylogenetic studies, our phylogenetic analysis based on mitogenomes provides new phylogenetic relationships between the subfamilies. The subfamily Theraphosinae is most closely related to Ornithoctoninae, slightly more distant from Harpactirinae, and most distant from Selenocosmiinae. The new data we obtained on these mitogenomes will help us understand the complex interrelationships between species within the family Theraphosidae.
Xu, T., Xu, W., Zhang, G., Liu, Z., & Liu, H. (2024). Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genomes of four tarantula species (Arachnida: Tarantulatidae) with phylogenetic analysis. gene148954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gene.2024.148954
