Complete mitochondrial genomes of Palauastrea ramosa Yabe & Sugiyama, 1941 and Stylocoeniella guentheri (Bassett-Smith, 1890) reveal their molecular phylogenetic position

Abstract

The scleractinian family Astrocoeniidae includes three genera. Palauastrea and Stylocoeniella are widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, while species of the genus Stephanocoenia (star corals) are found only in the Atlantic. Although Astrocoeniidae is considered to be phylogenetically most closely related to Pocilloporidae, their molecular phylogenetic position remains unclear. Here we report complete mitochondrial genomes of Palaustrea ramosa and Stylocoeniella guentheri. We also compared mitochondrial genomic structure between Astrocoeniidae (P. ramosa and S. guentheri) and Pocilloporidae. This study provides evidence of the phylogenetic structure and taxonomic relationships within Astrocoeniidae.