Complete Mitogenome of Myrmica afghanica and Its Phylogenetic Placement Within Myrmica (Formicidae)

Mitochondrial genomes are valuable molecular markers for species identification and phylogenetic reconstruction among insects, yet mitogenomic resources are still scarce for ants (Formicidae). Here, we assembled and annotated the new complete mitochondrial genome of Myrmica afghanica. The circular mitogenome is 15,436 bp in length, containing the conserved ancestral hymenopteran complement of 37 mitochondrial genes without large-scale structural rearrangement. It exhibits a high AT content (82.29%) and heterogeneous nucleotide skews, consistent with lineage-specific mitogenomic features within Myrmicinae. The protein-coding genes exhibit AT-biased codon usage and enrichment of hydrophobic amino acids, and the trnS1-tct gene lacks a complete DHU stem–loop structure. Phylogenetic analyses supports M. afghanica as the sister species of M. scabrinodis. This study presents a useful new mitochondrial genome of M. afghanica, clarifying its phylogenetic placement. Our findings provide the essential molecular data and improve the phylogenetic resolution for future systematic studies of the genus Myrmica.