The complete mitochondrial genome of Eremias yarkandensis (Reptilia, Squamata, Lacertidae) from Kyrgyzstan

The Yarkand racerunner, Eremias yarkandensis Blandford, 1875, is only distributed in China and Kyrgyzstan. Its complete mitogenome was determined by next-generation sequencing for the first time. The mitogenome was 18,743 bp in length, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 control region. Its gene arrangement was similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates. The 13 concatenated PCGs were used to perform Bayesian phylogenetic analyses together with several congeners as well as two representative species of Lacerta with mitogenome data in GenBank. The resulting phylogenetic tree recovered the monophyly of both Eremias and its viviparous group, with E. yarkandensis being more closely related to E. przewalskii than to E. dzungarica. The mitogenome of E. yarkandensis will provide fundamental data for the exploration of the mitogenome evolution in racerunners.