Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of the Yunnan endemic grasshopper Yunnanacris yunnaneus (Insecta: Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Yunnanacris yunnaneus (Y. yunnaneus) was once a destructive grasshopper in the Yunnan province (People’s Republic of China) that jeopardized tobacco cultivation. However, its population has severely declined because of extensive pesticide use. Identifying the species and sources of Y. yunnaneus is important for biodiversity conservation and ecological/environmental preservation. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of Y. yunnaneus was assembled from high-coverage (35.5×) Illumina MiSeq sequencing data. The circular genome is 15,475 bp in length, harboring 37 typical mitochondrial genes and one control region. The nucleotide composition is highly asymmetric (42.6 % A, 14.4 % C, 10.6 % G, and 32.4 % T), with an overall A + T content of 75.1 %. All the protein-coding genes are initiated with typical ATN start codons and terminated with a TAA codon. The control region has a remarkably high A + T content (85.1 %) and is located between genes rrnS and trnV.