The complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered Apollo butterfly, Parnassius apollo (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and its comparison to other Papilionidae species

• The research presented firstly the complete mitochondrial genome of Parnassius apollo.
• Two tRNA-like sequences were detected in the AT-rich region of the mitochondrial genome.
• The intergenic spacer between tRNASer and tRNAGlu is 68 bp, which is the largest among all Papilionidae species determined.

The Apollo butterfly, Parnassius apollo is a representative species of the butterfly subfamily Parnassiinae. This charming species is one of the most endangered butterfly species in the world. In this study, we sequenced its complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome), with the aim of accumulating genetic information for further studies of population genetics and mitogenome evolution in the Papilionidae. The 15,404-bp long mitogenome harbors a typical set of 37 genes and is the largest butterfly mitogenome determined, except for Papilio maraho (16,094 bp). Like many other sequenced lepidopteran species, one tRNATrp-like and one tRNALeu(UUR)-like sequences were detected in the AT-rich region. A total of 164 bp of non-coding sequences are dispersed in 14 regions throughout the genome. The longest intergenic spacer (68 bp) is located between tRNASer(AGN) and tRNAGlu, and is the largest spacer at this location among Papilionidae species. This spacer may have resulted from an 8-fold repetition of a TTTCTTCT motif or a 4-fold repetition of a CTTTATTT motif.

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