Complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic analysis of the copper shark Carcharhinus brachyurus (Gunther, 1870)

Abstract

Copper shark (Carcharhinus brachyurus Gunther, 1870) is one of the most widely distributed but least known species in the family Carcharhinidae. Herein, we report the first complete mitogenome of C. brachyurus. The overall structure of the 16,704 bp C. brachyurus mitogenome was similar to that of other Carcharhinus species and showed the highest average nucleotide identity (97.1%) with the spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna). Multigene phylogeny using 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) in the mitogenome resolved C. brachyurus clustered with other species within the genus; the overall tree topology was congruent with recent phylogenetic studies of this species. These results provide important information for conservation genetics and further evolutionary studies of sharks.