Mitochondrial genome sequence of Unionicola foili (Acari: Unionicolidae): a unique gene order with implications for phylogenetic inference.

The mitochondrial genome of Unionicola foili is circular, 14,738 bp in length, and contains several notable features. The sequence and annotation revealed a unique gene order, continuing a pattern of highly rearranged mitochondrial genomes in the Trombidiformes. U. foili mitochondrial tRNA sequences predict non-canonical secondary structures for these molecules, and our annotation suggests an in-frame fusion between the nad4L and nad5 genes in this genome. The unique gene order and unusual tRNA structures could serve as idiosyncratic characters and have the potential to be phylogenetically informative.