Assembly of Mitochondrial Genome of Oriental Plover (Anarhynchus veredus) and Phylogenetic Relationships Within the Charadriidae

<b>Background:</b> Traditional morphology-based classification of the Oriental Plover (<i>Anarhynchus veredus</i>) is inconsistent with molecular evidence, underscoring the necessity of incorporating molecular data to elucidate its evolutionary relationships within Charadriidae. <b>Methods:</b> Here, we present the first complete mitochondrial genome of <i>A. veredus</i> by Illumina NovaSeq Sequencing and explore its evolutionary implications within Charadriidae. <b>Results:</b> The mitogenome spans 16,886 bp and exhibits conserved structural features typical of Charadriidae, including gene order, overlapping coding regions, and intergenic spacers. Nucleotide composition analysis revealed a GC content of 44.3%, aligning with other Charadriidae species (44.5-45.8%), and hierarchical GC distribution across <i>rRNA</i>, <i>tRNA</i>, and protein-coding genes (PCGs) reflects structural and functional optimization. Evolutionary rate heterogeneity was observed among PCGs, with <i>ATP8</i> and <i>ND6</i> showing accelerated substitution rates (Ka/Ks = 0.1748 and 0.1352) and <i>COX2</i> under strong purifying selection (Ka/Ks = 0.0678). Notably, a conserved translational frameshift in <i>ND3</i> (position 174) was identified. Phylogenetic analyses (ML/NJ) of 88 Charadriiformes species recovered robust topologies, confirming that the division of Charadriidae into four monophyletic clades (<i>Pluvialis</i>, <i>Vanellus</i>, <i>Charadrius</i>, and <i>Anarhynchus</i>) and supporting the reclassification of <i>A. veredus</i> under <i>Anarhynchus</i>. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study resolves the systematic position of <i>A. veredus</i> and highlights the interplay between conserved mitochondrial architecture and lineage-specific adaptations in shaping shorebird evolution.