Characterizing the complete mitogenome of Heterosentis holospinus Amin, Heckman & Ha, 2011 (Palaeacanthocephala: Echinorhynchida: Arhythmacanthidae) and its mitochondrial phylogeny

Heterosentis holospinus Amin, Heckman & Ha, 2011 is a parasitic acanthocephalan, with Cynoglossus bilineatus Lacepède, 1802 identified as a new definitive host. We sequenced and annotated its complete mitochondrial genome, which spans 16,560 bp and contains 36 genes, including 22 tRNAs, 12 PCGs and 2 rRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of Heterosentis and its current taxonomic status. This study enriches essential molecular data that contribute to a clearer phylogenetic framework for Acanthocephala and highlight the utility of mitochondrial genomes in resolving taxonomic relationships at both the genus and family levels.

单刺异棘头虫（Heterosentis holospinus Amin, Heckman & Ha, 2011）是一种寄生性棘头动物，双线舌鳎（Cynoglossus bilineatus Lacepède, 1802）被确定为该物种新的终末宿主。本研究对其完整线粒体基因组（mitochondrial genome）进行了测序与注释，该基因组全长16560 bp，共包含36个基因，涵盖22个转运RNA（transfer RNAs, tRNAs）、12个蛋白质编码基因（protein-coding genes, PCGs）以及2个核糖体RNA（ribosomal RNAs, rRNAs）。系统发育分析证实了异棘头虫属（Heterosentis）的单系性及其当前的分类地位。本研究丰富了核心分子数据，可为棘头动物门（Acanthocephala）构建更为清晰的系统发育框架提供支撑，同时凸显了线粒体基因组在解析属级与科级分类关系中的应用价值。