Complete mitochondrial genome of the European smelt Osmerus eperlanus (Osmeriformes, Osmeridae)

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome was sequenced in two individuals of the European smelt Osmerus eperlanus. The genome sequences are 16,608 and 16,609 bp in size, and the gene arrangement, composition, and size are very similar to the other smelt mt genomes previously published. The difference between the two genomes studied is low, 0.05%. The difference is significantly higher (6.95%) between the O. eperlanus genomes studied here and the genome of the congeneric species, O. mordax (HM106493.1) available in GenBank. The distribution of divergence is non-uniform along the genomes. There is a continuous segment (≈2.5 kb) encompassing tRNA-Phe, complete 12S rRNA gene, tRNA-Val, and partial 16S rRNA gene, which demonstrates significantly lower levels of divergence than on average for the whole genome. The 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes are frequently used for phylogenetic and molecular taxonomy analyses and could underestimate the level of divergence between osmerid fishes.