Complete mitochondrial genome of Pycnonotus xanthorrhous (Passeriformes, Pycnonotidae) and phylogenetic consideration

• The mitogenome of P. xanthorrhous was determined.
• The structure of control region and pseudo-control region in P. xanthorrhous were analyzed, respectively.
• The evolution of control region within this lineage was investigated.
• The phylogenetic relationship among Passerida sensu stricto was analyzed based on mitochondrial PCGs.

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Pycnonotus xanthorrhous was sequenced via next generation sequencing. The full length of the circular genome is 16,952 bp. It consists of 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) and 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. P. xanthorrhous also contains one control region (CR) and one pseudo-control region, and shares the identical gene arrangements with sequenced Pycnonotus spp. which differs from the typical vertebrates gene order. Phylogenetic analyses indicates that Passerida sensu stricto contains three major clades and the core Sylvioidea form a monophyletic group. Furthermore, we investigated the evolution of control region within this lineage and revealed the multiple independent origins of duplicate control region.