Complete mitochondrial DNA genome of banded cichlid Heros severus Heckel, 1840 (Perciformes: Cichlidae).

In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Heros severus Heckel, 1840 (Perciformes, Cichlidae). This mitochondrial genome, consisting of 16,577 base pairs (bp), contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 noncoding control regions (control region and origin of light-strand replication) as those found in other vertebrates. Control region, of 917 bp in length, is located between tRNAPro and tRNAPhe. Within the control region, typical conserved domains, such as the termination-associated sequence (TAS), central, and conserved sequence blocks domains were identified. The overall base composition of the heavy strand shows 27.6% of T, 26.3% of C, 29.3% of A, and 16.8% of G, with a slight A + T rich feature (56.9%). The complete mitogenome data provide useful genetic markers for the studies on the molecular identification, population genetics, phylogenetic analysis, and conservation genetics.