Phylogenetic studies of Prunella strophiata (Passeridae: Prunella) based on complete mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Rufous-breasted Accentor (Prunella strophiata) is a small-sized bunting with an extremely geographical range in the world. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome of P. strophiata (16,830 bp in length) has been analyzed for building the database. Similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates, it contained 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes) and a non-coding region (D-loop). Overall base composition of the complete mitochondrial DNA is A (30.3%), G (14.7%), C (31.0%) and T (24.0%), the percentage of A and T (54.3%) is higher than G and C (45.7%). All the genes in P. strophiata were distributed on the H-strand, except for the ND6 subunit gene and 9 tRNA genes which were encoded on the L-strand. The phylogenetic relationships of 12 Passeriformes species were reconstructed based on the complete mtDNA sequences using the Bayesian inference method.