The complete mitogenome of the springtail Tullbergia bisetosa: a subterranean springtail from the sub-Antarctic region

• Published in: Mitochondrial DNA Part B
• Main Authors: Harini Jagatap, Daniela M. Monsanto, Bettine Jansen van Vuuren, Charlene Janion-Scheepers, Sudharshan Sekar, Peter R. Teske, Arsalan Emami-Khoyi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2019
• Subjects: mitogenome; tullbergia bisetosa; soil ecosystems; collembola; sub-antarctic; prince edward islands; Genetics; QH426-470; Antarctic; Antarc*; Prince Edward Islands; Springtail
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1601514; https://doaj.org/article/14268d04ae984ed284b72f467e36a979

Tullbergia bisetosa is a springtail (Collembola) native to the sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Islands. Unlike most other springtails, it has acquired a euedaphic (living within the soil) life form. In the present study, the complete mitogenome of T. bisetosa was sequenced. It has a length of 15,204 bp and comprises 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, and two rRNAs. The mitogenome has the following base composition: A = 35.5%, T = 32.3%, G = 10.6%, and C = 21.1%. A Bayesian phylogenetic tree shows that T. bisetosa is grouped with springtails that possess similar morphological features and similar life histories. Our results suggest a mitogenomic signal towards morphological traits that conforms to a euedaphic lifestyle.