The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence and the phylogenetic position of Rhabdophis tigrinus (Reptilia: Squamata)

The complete mitochondrial genome of Rhabdophis tigrinus (Reptilia: Squamata) is presented for the first time in this study. It is a circular molecule of 17 415 bp in length (GenBank accession no. KU641019), consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes (12S and 16S rRNA) and two control regions (D-loop), with the typical gene order and direction of transcription in Serpentes. The overall base composition is 33.65% A, 26.70% C, 13.16% G and 26.49% T. Mitochondrial genomes analyses based on NJ method yield phylogenetic trees, including 14 reported snakes belonging to four families (Colubridae, Elapidae, Viperidae and Typhlopidae). These molecular data presented here provide a useful tool for systematic analyses of genus Rhabdophis and family Colubridae.