The First Mitochondrial Genome of Giant Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii (Crustacea: Decapoda) from Mekong Delta: Gene Characterization and Phylogenetic Considerations

The giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii de Man, 1879) is commercially important, particularly in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (15,766 bp; GenBank: PV138027) was sequenced using Illumina platform. The circular genome comprises 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and a control region. Twenty-three genes are on the heavy strand. The nucleotide composition (A – T: 61.8%) shows a strong bias. PCGs use ATN start codons and TAA, TAG, or incomplete T– stop codons. Most tRNAs have typical cloverleaf structures, except tRNASer1. Gene order follows the pancrustacean ground pattern, with a translocation between tRNAThr and tRNAPro. Phylogenetic analysis grouped Macrobrachium species into a distinct clade, separate from Exopalaemon and Palaemon.