Nuclear copies of mitochondrial DNA (NUMTs) as a potential problem for phylogenetic and population genetic studies of Odonata

The use of mitochondrial markers for taxonomic identification and biodiversity monitoring is not without any risks or limitations. Most importantly, the natural transfer of DNA from the mitochondria to the nucleus generates non-functional nuclear copies of mitochondrial DNA (NUMTs). Their abundance and size vary significantly among taxa, and NUMTs have been reported to complicate molecular studies based on mitochondrial markers in several insect orders, most prominently in Orthoptera. The significance of this phenomenon in Odonata has not yet been properly addressed. Here, we present a complete mitochondrial genome and a draft nuclear genome of Leucorrhinia albifrons (Odonata: Libellulidae), as well as NUMT and cox1 sequences from the related species L. dubia. We document the presence of NUMTs in the L. albifrons nuclear genome and in nuclear genomes of two other Odonata species available in public databases. Our results show that NUMTs can have a serious impact on barcoding, phylogenetic, population, and phylogeographic studies of Odonata