Cryptospiza mitogenomes

Crimsonwings (genus Cryptospiza) are estrilid finches that are found in the understory of montane rainforests of sub-Saharan Africa. There are currently four recognized species: Cryptospiza jacksoni, Cryptospiza shelleyi, Cryptospiza reichenovii and Cryptospiza salvadorii. The first two are endemic to the Albertine Rift, whereas the latter two species are more widely distributed. Although well represented in collections of natural history museums, few genetic resources of Cryptospiza are publicly available. The goals of our study, therefore, were to provide and disseminate the assembled and annotated mitogenomes of all four species.