http://informahealthcare.com/mdn ISSN: 1940-1736 (print), 1940-1744 (electronic) Mitochondrial DNA, Early Online: 1–2 ! 2014 Informa UK Ltd. DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2014.926512 MITOGENOME ANNOUNCEMENT The complete mitochondrial genome of the invasive house crow Corvus splendens (Passeriformes: Corvidae) Urszula Krzeminska, Robyn Wilson, Sadequr Rahman, Beng Kah Song, Han Ming Gan, Mun Hua Tan, and Christopher M. Austin School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of the invasive house crow (Corvus splendens) was sequenced (GenBank accession number: KJ766304) using the MiSeq Personal Sequencer (Illumina, San Diego, CA). The mitochondrial genome is 16,962 bp in length, comprising 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal subunit genes and a non-coding control region. The mitogenome structural organization is identical to that of the other Corvus species and related genera. The overall base composition of C. splendens is 30.65% for A, 29.71% for C, 14.84% for G and 24.80% for T, with an AT content of 55.45%. We propose to use full mitochondrial genome to address taxonomic issues and to study the population genetics of crows. Keywords Corvus, Indian crow, mitogenome History Received 6 May 2014 Accepted 9 May 2014 Published online 18 June 2014 Crows (Aves: Passeriformes: Corvidae: Corvus) (Linneus, 1758) are amongst the most wide-spread and successful genus of birds that are found in all the continents of the world, except South America and Antarctica (Burton & Burton, 2002). There are over 40 species of genus Corvus (Marzluff & Angell, 2005). Of these, the highly invasive house crow (Corvus splendens) has an Oriental origin and is currently found in over 23 countries outside its native range (Ryall, 2013). Notorious for its predatory behavior on smaller animals, competitive displacement of other crow species, and role as a vector in the transmission of human enteric diseases (Lim et al., 2003; Ryall, 1992; Verdugo et al., 2012), it poses a significant threat to ecology, economic activities and human health. However, despite being an economically and ecologically important pest in many regions, the population genetics structure and phylogenetics of the house crow have not yet been assessed. It is important to study the population genetics of this species to understand its colonization patterns and recent evolutionary history and also to complement previous studies of the genus Corvus (Haring et al., 2012; Kryukow et al., 2012). Eight mitogenomes are available for the family Corvidae but only one for the genus Corvus (C. frugilegus) (GenBank accession number: Y18522) The adult specimen of C. splendens was collected from Ampang, Malaysia. Total genomic DNA was extracted from the liver tissue using DNeasy Blood and Tissue kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer’s protocol. Partial, whole genome sequencing was performed (2 Â 150 bp paired-end run) on the MiSeq Personal Sequencer (Illumina, San Diego, CA). Mitogenome sequence assembly and annotation were performed as previously described by Gan et al. (2014). The cytochrome b gene sequence of C. splendens (GenBank Accession number: JQ864493) was used as the initial bait for MITObim assembly. The C. splendens genome is 16,926 bp long (GenBank accession number: KJ766304), comprising 37 mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal subunit genes, 22 transfer RNA genes,) and a non-coding control region (Table 1). The gene arrangement is consistent with the C. frugilegus mitogenome, the only other Corvus species for which the full mitogenome is available (GenBank accession number: Y18522). The base composition of C. splendens is 30.65% for A, 29.71% for C, 14.84% for G and 24.80% for T, with an AT content of 55.45%. The overall mitogenome similarity between the two species is 92.5%, with COI having 93.4% similarity. The sequenced sample of C. splendens is almost identical (99.7% similarity) over the 1143 bp fragment of the cytochrome b gene with a C. splendens cytochrome b sequence available from GenBank (GenBank accession number: JQ864493). In this study, we propose full mitochondrial genome sequen- cing as an approach for clarifying the taxonomy and to identify mutational hotspots useful for phylogenetic and population genetic studies of genus Corvus. Correspondence: Urszula Krzeminska, School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. E-mail: ukrz1@student.monash.edu Mitochondrial DNA Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 175.142.130.197 on 06/20/14 For personal use only.