Next-generation sequencing yields a nearly complete mitochondrial genome of Plestiodon liui (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) endemic to China

The Liu’s skink, Plestiodon liui, is endemic to China. In this study, a nearly complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) (17,643 bp in length) of P. liui from Junzhang Mountain, Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China, was determined by next-generation sequencing. Similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates, it contained two ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, and one control region (CR). With exception to the CR, all of the 37 genes were completely recovered. The PCGs were used to perform Bayesian phylogenetic analyses together with other scincid lizards with mitogenome data in GenBank. The resulting phylogenetic tree supported the monophyly of the P. capito group, and suggested that P. liui is the sister taxon to P. capito plus P. tunganus. The mitogenome of P. liui will provide fundamental data for the exploration of the mitogenome evolution in skinks.