Mitochondrial Genome Characteristics and Phylogenetic Analysis of Fulmekiola serrata (Kobus) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Sugarcane thrips, <i>Fulmekiola serrata</i> (Kobus) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a common foliar pest that infests sugarcane and is found throughout tropical and subtropical countries. In this study, we obtained and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of <i>F. serrata</i> for the first time and explored the phylogenetic relationships of the higher-order elements of Thysanoptera members at the mitochondrial level. The complete mitochondrial genome of <i>F. serrata</i> is 16,596 bp in length and includes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and 1 noncoding control region. A+T accounted for 75% of the total bases in the mitochondrial genome of <i>F. serrata</i>, revealing an obvious AT bias. Among the 13 PCGs, except for <i>nad5</i>, which had a start codon of TTG, the remaining genes had ATNs typical of insects (ATA, ATT, ATC, and ATG); <i>nad1</i>, <i>nad2</i>, <i>nad3</i>, and <i>atp8</i> had incomplete termination codons of TA or T. The remaining nine PCGs were complete with the termination codon TAA. Of the 22 tRNA secondary structures, all were typical cloverleaf secondary structures except for <i>trnS1</i>, which was missing the DHU arm. Compared with the hypothetical ancestral gene arrangement of arthropods, <i>F. serrata</i> presented extensive gene rearrangement, with 23 translocated genes, 8 inverted genes, and 5 shuffled genes. Both maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) phylogenetic trees resulted in similar topologies: ((Thripidae + (Stenurothripidae + Aeolothripidae)) + Phlaeothripidae), with Thripidae, Aeolothripidae and Phlaeothripidae being monophyletic groups, whereas <i>F. serrata</i> is closely related to <i>Thrips palmi</i>, and the two are sister groups.