Complete mitochondrial genome of the Salangid icefish Neosalanx taihuensis (Actinopterygii: Osmeriformes: Salangidae)

The complete mitochondrial DNA genome of the Salangid icefish (Neosalanx taihuensis) was sequenced by the primer walking sequence method. The entire mitochondrial genome of this species is 17,035bp in length, making it the longest among the reported mitochondrial genomes of Osmeriformes. It contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and one control region (CR). The gene arrangement, nucleotide composition, and codon usage pattern of the mitochondrial genome are similar to those of other teleosts except for two long tandem repeats in the CR. A 486bp tandem repeat fragment was identified that comprises 2 copies of 243bp motif and accounts approximately 35.5% of the CR. The 243bp tandem repeat motif can be folded into a stem-loop secondary structure. Phylogenetic analysis based on 12 concatenated protein-coding genes of the heavy strand shows the genus Neosalanx diverged most recently and clustered with Protosalanx hyalocranius as a clade.