The complete mitochondrial genomes of <i>Litophyton</i> sp. and <i>Stereonephthya</i> sp., members of family Nephtheidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Octocorallia)

Abstract In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenome) of Litophyton sp. and Stereonephthya sp. (family Nephtheidae), collected in Okinawa, Japan. The complete mitogenomes of Litophyton sp. and Stereonephthya sp. were 19,130 bp and 18,912 bp in length, respectively. They contained 17 genes (14 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and one tRNA gene) and exhibited gene order pattern “A”, which is the most common arrangement among octocorals. Molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that Litophyton sp. And Stereonephthya sp. are clustered with other species belonging to family Nephtheidae, consistent with the previous research using partial mitochondrial genes. Our study provides additional mitochondrial genomic resources that contributes to comparative studies of octocoral mitogenomes.