First Complete Mitochondrial Genome Analysis of Tree Frog, Dryophytes flaviventris and Comparison with Dryophytes suweonensis

Mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) play a key role in species identification and phylogenetic studies due to their stable gene arrangements and evolutionary insights. <i>Dryophytes flaviventris</i>, classified in 2020 and closely related to <i>D. suweonensis</i>, lacks mitochondrial DNA data for differentiation. This gap hinders accurate species identification, highlighting the need for further genomic studies. The complete mitogenome size of two <i>D. flaviventris</i> were 18,616-18,617 bp and those for two <i>D. suweonensis</i> were 18,610-18,616 bp, the mitogenomes of the two species consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a D-loop. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that the mitochondrial DNA of all four individuals formed a monophyletic group, showing no genetic differentiation. As a result, the two species do not form distinct clades, and mitogenomes could not differentiate them, suggesting they are not reciprocally monophyletic. This study presents the first mitogenome data for <i>D. flaviventris</i> and provides valuable insights into tree frog taxonomy.