Phylogenetic implications of the whole mitochondrial genome provide insight into geographic distribution and morphological relationships of Bos spp.

Bos genus includes 8 species namely Bos frontalis, Bos gaurus, Bos grunniens, Bos indicus, Bos javanicus, Bos mutus, Bos primigenius, Bos taurus is one of the world's most numerous mammals. Their habitats vary greatly depending on the particular species. Mitochondrial genomics is considered an essential tool for identifying species and monitoring populations in need of conservation. In the current study, we report the first complete mitochondrial DNA of Vietnamese gaur using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing technology. In addition, we performed a comparative analysis using the complete mitochondrial genome of 34 other Bos species. In combination with genetic distance and geographic information, our study indicates distinctive haplotype patterns of mitochondrion in South and Southeast Asia in comparison with East Asia and Europe. We also strongly suggest that, unlike using partial sequences, the complete mitochondrial genome may be better for population genetic assessment of Bos spp. Last but not least, we demonstrated a simple experimental setup of the ONT platform could be feasible for large-scale population genetic evaluations of wild animals. Altogether, our study provides pieces of evidence to emphasize the necessity of using whole mitochondrial DNA for phylogenetic implication by long-read sequencing methods.