The complete mitochondrial genome of Phrynocephalus forsythii (Reptilia, Squamata, Agamidae), a toad-headed agama endemic to the Taklamakan Desert.

The complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced from a viviparous toad-headed agama, Phrynocephalus forsythii, which is endemic to the Taklamakan Desert. The mitogenome sequence was 17,542 bp in size, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes and a control region (D-loop). The gene arrangement and composition of P. forsythii is identical to the mitogenome of P. theobaldi in that tRNA-Pro was translocated immediately downstream of tRNA-Phe. The D-loop comprised two parts, one existing between tRNA-Thr and tRNA-Phe, and another containing 12 copies of 36-bp tandem repeats inserting between tRNA-Pro and 12S rRNA. The complete mitogenome sequence of P. forsythii may provide fundamental data for unveiling the phylogenetic origin and adaptive evolution related to Phrynocephalus viviparity.