The complete mitochondrial genome of Papilio xuthus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and implications for Papilioninae taxonomy

The complete mitochondrial genome of Papilio xuthus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) was determined in this study. The mitochondrial genome is a circular molecule of 15 359 and contains 37 genes including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes and one control region. The nucleotide composition of the A. chinensis mitogenome is strongly biased toward A + T nucleotides (80.45%). Nine protein-coding genes and 14 tRNA genes are encoded on the H strand, and the other four protein-coding genes and eight tRNA genes are encoded on the L strand. The gene order and the orientation of their mitogenomes were similar to all know Papilionidae species. Finally, the phylogenetic relationships of 11 Papilionidae species were reconstructed based on complete mitochondrial genome using the Bayesian inference (BI) and the maximum-likelihood (ML) method. These molecular-based phylogenies support the traditional morphologically based view of relationships within the Papilionidae.