Sequence, assembly, and annotation of the mitochondrial genome of the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica. Rhyzopertha dominica mitochondrial genome

The lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica Fabricius, is a worldwide coleopteran pest of stored grains. Because it is an internal feeder in the grain during immature stages, the major control method for R. dominica is phosphine fumigation, but the rise of resistant populations threatens efficacy. Because some resistant insects have reduced respiration, we are interested in understanding the mitochondrial genome and whether it plays a role in resistance. We extracted genomic DNA from an inbred laboratory strain of R. dominica and sequenced by both short and long read technology. Short read sequences were assembled and annotated by open software, and the assembled sequenced was manually annotated and verified by long read sequences. The mitochondrial genome sequence for R. dominica was a total length of 15,724 bp and encoded 22 trna genes, 2 rRNA genes, 13 protein coding genes (7 nad subunits, 3 cox, 2 atp, and 1 cytB), flanked by a long coding region. We compared our predicted mitochondrial genome to another for a R. dominica strain from Jingziguan (China) that was recently published. While there was mostly agreement among the two assemblies, key differences may suggest mutations in the two populations related to insecticide control pressure, mainly that of phosphine. Alternatively, differences in sequence data, assembly, and annotation may result in different genome interpretations.