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Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods
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Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2658

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Renfu Shao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Bioinnovation, School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4557, Australia
Interests: evolution of mitochondrial genomes; function of mitochondrial genomes; biodiversity, taxonomy and systematics of Australian native sucking lice; biodiversity, taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of parasitic lice of australian birds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to a Special Issue of Biology (MDPI) titled “Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods”. Arthropods represent the most diverse animal phylum, and their mitochondrial genomes offer rich insights into molecular evolution, gene expression, and phylogenetic relationships. Advances in sequencing technologies have opened new avenues for exploring mitochondrial transcription, translation, and genome architecture across arthropod lineages.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research that enhances our understanding of arthropod mitochondrial genomics and its implications for systematics, evolution, and functional biology. The scope aligns with Biology’s mission to publish high-quality studies across all areas of biological science, including molecular biology, genomics, and evolutionary biology.

In this Special Issue, both original research articles and comprehensive reviews are encouraged. We welcome submissions on topics such as mitochondrial genome structure, transcriptional and translational mechanisms, phylogenetics, and comparative genomics of arthropods. The scope is focused yet inclusive, covering all arthropod groups and ensuring relevance to both specialists and broader biological audiences. If we receive 10 or more accepted papers, this Special Issue may be published as a printed book, offering additional visibility for your work.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Renfu Shao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mitochondrial genome architecture
  • transcriptional dynamics
  • translational mechanisms
  • comparative genomics
  • molecular evolution
  • arthropod phylogenetics
  • systematics
  • evolutionary biology

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 6714 KB  
Article
Comparative Mitogenomic Analysis of Water Scavenger Beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea) Provides Insights into Phylogeny and Adaptive Evolution
by Huan Wang, Han-Hui-Ying Lv, Yi-Yang Zhao, Shi-Yun Hu, Feng-Yi Gan, Yu-Xiang Wang and Ming-Long Yuan
Biology 2026, 15(7), 571; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15070571 - 2 Apr 2026
Viewed by 485
Abstract
Water scavenger beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea) exhibit remarkable adaptations to both aquatic and terrestrial habitats and play irreplaceable ecological roles, yet their higher-level phylogeny and the molecular basis of their adaptive evolution remain unresolved. Here, we sequenced four complete mitogenomes of C. unipunctatus from [...] Read more.
Water scavenger beetles (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea) exhibit remarkable adaptations to both aquatic and terrestrial habitats and play irreplaceable ecological roles, yet their higher-level phylogeny and the molecular basis of their adaptive evolution remain unresolved. Here, we sequenced four complete mitogenomes of C. unipunctatus from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and conducted a comprehensive mitogenomic analysis by integrating these new data with 22 publicly available Hydrophiloidea mitogenomes, representing three families and six subfamilies. Our analyses revealed highly conserved mitogenomic architecture across Hydrophiloidea, with structural variation confined to non-coding regions and AT content correlating with both habitat type and phylogenetic lineage. Phylogenetic reconstructions robustly resolved the higher-level relationships: Helophoridae and Hydrochidae formed the sister group to Hydrophilidae, within which Hydrophilinae and Sphaeridiinae were strongly supported as monophyletic clades. We detected positive selection in the energy metabolism genes cox3 and nad5 along the ancestral branch of the terrestrial subfamily Sphaeridiinae, providing the first molecular evidence linking mitochondrial adaptation to the aquatic-to-terrestrial habitat shift. However, no positive selection signals were found in high-altitude C. unipunctatus populations, suggesting that adaptation to extreme environments operates through alternative mechanisms (e.g., regulatory or structural variation) rather than protein-coding evolution. This study establishes a robust phylogenetic framework for Hydrophiloidea and reveals the diverse molecular pathways underlying their adaptive evolution, from protein-coding adaptation during aquatic–terrestrial shifts to non-coding responses in extreme high-altitude environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods)
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17 pages, 724 KB  
Article
Transcription of the Extensively Fragmented Mitochondrial Genomes of Human Lice
by Emily Dunn and Renfu Shao
Biology 2026, 15(4), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15040296 - 8 Feb 2026
Viewed by 652
Abstract
The mitochondrial (mt) genomes of animals, including humans, are typically a single circular chromosome containing all mt genes. In several animal lineages, however, mt genomes have become fragmented, with genes distributed on multiple minichromosomes. How fragmented mt genomes are transcribed is still poorly [...] Read more.
The mitochondrial (mt) genomes of animals, including humans, are typically a single circular chromosome containing all mt genes. In several animal lineages, however, mt genomes have become fragmented, with genes distributed on multiple minichromosomes. How fragmented mt genomes are transcribed is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the transcription of the extensively fragmented mt genomes of the human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) and the human body louse (Pediculus humanus corporis). RNA-seq reads of both subspecies were retrieved from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive database and mapped to their mt genomes. The transcription level of each mt gene, minichromosome, motif, coding region and non-coding region, measured by RPKM (Reads Per Kilobase of transcript per Million mapped reads), TPM (Transcripts Per Million) or read coverage, was analysed statistically. In both subspecies, mt minichromosomes were transcribed entirely, with coding regions transcribed at much higher levels than non-coding regions. The 37 mt genes are transcribed unevenly, with rrnL, cox1, cox2, cox3 and atp6 transcribed at significantly higher levels than several other genes. Many transcription events terminate near a GC-rich motif in the non-coding regions; however, some transcription events pass this motif, leading to the transcription of entire non-coding regions. Despite the drastic difference in mt genome organisation, the human lice share several transcriptional features with humans, but also have unique features related to their fragmented mt genome organisation. The current study represents the first effort into the transcription of fragmented mt genomes. As more RNA-seq data become available, further studies on other animals with fragmented mt genomes are necessary to fully understand how genome fragmentation affects transcription. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods)
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16 pages, 5310 KB  
Article
Mitochondrial Phylogenomics of Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinoidea) Supports the Monophyly of Eriocampinae stat. nov.
by Siying Wan, Xiao Li, Beibei Tan, Meicai Wei and Gengyun Niu
Biology 2026, 15(2), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15020202 - 22 Jan 2026
Viewed by 597
Abstract
Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinoidea), the most species-rich sawfly family, features a controversial subfamily classification, particularly regarding Eriocampa Hartig, 1837, Conaspidia Konow, 1898, and their relatives. In this study, we sequenced and characterized 15 complete mitochondrial genomes from Eriocampa, Eriocampopsis Takeuchi, 1952, and Conaspidia [...] Read more.
Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinoidea), the most species-rich sawfly family, features a controversial subfamily classification, particularly regarding Eriocampa Hartig, 1837, Conaspidia Konow, 1898, and their relatives. In this study, we sequenced and characterized 15 complete mitochondrial genomes from Eriocampa, Eriocampopsis Takeuchi, 1952, and Conaspidia, and reconstructed the phylogeny of Tenthredinidae using a mitogenomic dataset including 69 species from 16 subfamilies. The mitochondrial genomes of these genera exhibited genus-specific tRNA rearrangements within the IQM and ARNS1EF clusters. Phylogenetic analyses using both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference consistently recovered (Eriocampa + Eriocampopsis + Conaspidia) as a monophyletic lineage distinct from other subfamilies of Tenthredinidae. Divergence-time estimates indicate that the Eriocampa lineage diverged from other tenthredinids around the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene boundary (~70 Ma) and diversified during the Eocene. This timing coincides with the radiation of their host plants (Araliaceae, Betulaceae, and Juglandaceae). We also compared the morphology of Eriocampinae with that of other subfamilies of Tenthredinidae and summarized the diagnostic characters of Eriocampinae. Integrating morphological and mitogenomic evidence supports the recognition of Eriocampinae Rohwer, 1911 stat. nov. This study not only clarifies the phylogenetic position of these genera but also provides new insights into the coevolutionary history between sawflies and angiosperms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods)
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15 pages, 2730 KB  
Article
Comparative Mitogenomics and Phylogeny of Geotrupidae (Insecta: Coleoptera): Insights from Two New Mitogenomes of Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Dung Beetles
by Huan Wang, Sha-Man Ai, Han-Hui-Ying Lv, Shi-Jun Li, Yu-Xiang Wang and Ming-Long Yuan
Biology 2026, 15(2), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15020164 - 16 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 497
Abstract
The dung beetle family Geotrupidae (Scarabaeoidea) plays a vital ecological role in nutrient cycling and soil health, yet the scarcity of complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) data has hindered phylogenetic and comparative studies within this family. Here, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated the first [...] Read more.
The dung beetle family Geotrupidae (Scarabaeoidea) plays a vital ecological role in nutrient cycling and soil health, yet the scarcity of complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) data has hindered phylogenetic and comparative studies within this family. Here, we sequenced, assembled, and annotated the first complete mitogenomes of Geotrupes stercorarius and Phelotrupes auratus, collected from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Comparative analysis of these two novel mitogenomes with eight existing mitogenomes revealed conserved architectural features across Geotrupidae, such as gene arrangement, tRNA secondary structures, and small intergenic spacers. Nucleotide composition was largely conserved, though marked divergence occurred at the third codon positions. Substantial structural variation was observed in non-coding regions, particularly in the control region and the nad2-trnW spacer. Evolutionary analyses indicated strong purifying selection across all protein-coding genes, with no evidence of widespread positive selection linked to high-altitude adaptation. Phylogenetic reconstruction consistently recovered the relationships (Bolboceratinae, (Lethrinae, Geotrupinae)), with Anoplotrupes and Geotrupes forming sister genera within Geotrupinae. This study provides additional mitogenomic resources and a well-supported phylogenetic framework for Geotrupidae, resolving key taxonomic uncertainties and establishing a basis for future evolutionary and ecological research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mitochondrial Genomics of Arthropods)
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