Gene order for a segment of the mitochondrial genome of the greenshell mussel, Perna canaliculus (Bivalvia: Mytilidae)

Abstract

The gene order of mitochondrial genomes has been reported to differ among distantly related taxa, but to be more or less conserved among closer relatives. 1 The two assumptions made when using mitochondrial gene organization to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among taxa are that mitochondrial gene rearrangements are rare and that a shared organization reflects a common ancestry. 2 Although mitochondrial gene order has been reported to have arisen independently in four bird lineages, 3 convergent rearrangements in independent lineages are assumed to be highly unlikely, and mitochondrial genome organization appears to be an informative character to determine relationships among phyla or classes. 4 Here, we compare the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene organization of the endemic New Zealand greenshell mussel, Perna canaliculus (Gmelin, 1791) to those of other invertebrate species because mitochondrial gene order may prove a useful tool to reconstruct the phylogeny among New Zealand mytilid bivalves, e.g. Aulacomya maoriana, Mytilus galloprovincialis, and