Mitochondrial genome of the polychaete Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus (Phyllodocida, Nereididae)

The complete mitochondrial genome of a marine polychaete, Prionospio cf. japonica (Annelida: Spionidae)

Prionospio Malmgren 1867 is one of the abundant genera of the family Spionidae Grube, 1850. Despite its rich diversity, information on their complete mitochondrial genome has remained unknown. In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of a spionid polychaete, Prionospio cf. japonica Okuda 1935. The specimen was collected from the fine sand in the intertidal zone of South Korea. The mitogenome consists of 15,267 base pairs, harboring 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs, and two ribosomal RNAs. The maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree based on the 11 PCGs showed that Prionospio cf. japonica grouped with other spionid polychaetes and formed a monophyletic group. Also, the mtDNA of P. cf. japonica was more closely related to that of non-polydorin spionid, Marenzelleria neglecta, than polydorin spionids. The molecular data will be valuable for studying evolutionary relationships among annelids.

First mitochondrial genomes of Chrysopetalidae (Annelida) from shallow-water and deep-sea chemosynthetic environments

Among Annelida, Chrysopetalidae is an ecologically and morphologically diverse group, which includes shallow-water, deep-sea, free-living, and symbiotic species. Here, the four first mitochondrial genomes of this group are presented and described. One of the free-living shallow-water species Chrysopetalum debile (Chrysopetalinae), one of the yet undescribed free-living deep-sea species Boudemos sp., and those of the two deep-sea bivalve endosymbionts Craseoschema thyasiricola and Iheyomytilidicola lauensis (Calamyzinae). An updated phylogeny of Chrysopetalidae is performed, which supports previous phylogenetic hypotheses within Chrysopetalinae and indicates a complex ecological evolution within Calamyzinae. Additionally, analyses of natural selection pressure in the four mitochondrial genomes and additional genes from the two shallow-water species Bhawania goodei and Arichlidon gathofi were performed. Relaxed selection pressure in the mitochondrion of deep-sea and symbiotic species was found, with many sites under selection identified in the COX3 gene of deep-sea species.

First genetic assessment of brackish water polychaete Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus: mitochondrial COI sequences reveal strong genetic differentiation and population expansion in samples collected from southeast China and north Vietnam

Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus is a widespread benthic polychaete worm found in coastal brackish waters of the west Pacific. It has high ecological and economic value as a biomarker of water quality and as a high-quality feed in aquaculture and fisheries and is considered a delicacy in some areas of Asia. However, it has experienced a marked reduction in recent years due to overexploitation as well as changes in the environment and climate. Here, to comprehensively understand its genetic background and thus provide insights for better conservation and utilization of this species, we assessed the genetic variability and demographic history of T. heterochaetus individuals sampled from eight locations along the coasts of southeast China and north Vietnam based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I ( COI) sequences. We observed high haplotype diversity ( Hd), with an average of 0.926, but relatively low nucleotide diversity ( π), with a mean of 0.032 across all samples. A total of 94 polymorphic sites and 85 haplotypes were identified among 320 individuals. The pairwise genetic distances among haplotypes ranged from 0.001 to 0.067, with the high intraspecific divergence possibly reflecting geographic isolation and gene pool fragmentation. Significant genetic structures were revealed among the studied locations; specifically, the eight locations could be treated as six genetically different populations based on pairwise Φ ST results (0.026-0.951, P<0.01). A significant pattern of isolation-by-distance was detected between the genetic and geographic distances ( r=0.873, P=0.001). Three geographic lineages were defined based on phylogenetic tree and network analyses of COI haplotypes. AMOVA results indicated that genetic variations mainly occurred among the three lineages (89.96%). Tests of neutrality and mismatch distribution suggested that T. heterochaetus underwent recent population expansion. These results provide the first report on the genetic status of T. heterochaetus and will be valuable for the management of genetic resources and better understanding of the ecology and evolution in this species.

Determination of complete mitogenome sequence for Eastern Asian population of Cheilonereis cyclurus (Harrington, 1897) (Polychaeta: Nereididae)

Complete mitogenome sequence for eastern Asian population of Cheilonereis cyclurus (Polychaeta: Nereididae) was determined for the first time. The length of circular genome of C. cyclurus is 14,917 bp including 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a non-coding region of 383 bp. The gene order of C. cyclurus is identical to that of the following four nereidid species: Hediste diadroma, Namalycastis abiuma, Paraleonnates uschakovi, Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus. The phylogenetic position of C. cyclurus compared to 16 selected polychaetes was conducted and present species is closely related to the clade containing Perinereis nuntia, P. aibuhitensis, and Platynereis dumerilii with high bootstrap value.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the giant mud worm Paraleonnates uschakovi Khlebovich & Wu, 1962 (Polychaeta: Nereididae)

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the giant mud worm Paraleonnates uschakovi (Polychaeta: Nereididae) was determined in this study for the first time. The mitogenome of P. uschakovi is 15,540 bp in length. It has 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes and a non-coding region. Mitogenome analysis of P. uschakovi showed inversion in the positions of three tRNAs compared to the mitogenome sequences of Perinereis aibuhitensis, P. nuntia and Platynereis dumerilii. The phylogenetic position of P. uschakovi compared to 15 selected polychaetes was investigated. P. uschakovi was grouped into the family of Nereididae. It is closely related to the clade containing Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus and Namalycastis abiuma.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the polychaete, Goniada japonica (Phyllodocida, Goniadidae)

The study determined the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the polychaete, Goniada japonica, which was first reported in the family of Goniadidae. A total of 7162 reads were generated by Illumina HiSeq2500 platform (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) with an average depth of 58.41×. The mitogenome of G. japonica was 15,327 bp in size and consists of 37 typical genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes) and a putative control region. All the 37 genes were encoded on the heavy strand whose nucleotide compositions were 35.08% of A, 33.69% of T, 11.66% of G, and 19.57% of C, showing a lower content of G + C (31.23%). The gene order of 15 major coding genes was identical to that of the Nereididae species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that G. japonica has a closer relationship with Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus of Nereididae.