Complete Mitochondrial Genome Characterization of Saga hakkarica Şirin Taylan, 2019 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae, Saginae): with Notes on Intrageneric Mitogenomics

In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Saga hakkarica Şirin & Taylan, 2019, an Anatolian endemic species belonging to the order Orthoptera, family Tettigoniidae, subfamily Saginae, was characterized and genetically analysed. Next-generation sequencing technologies were employed to obtain the mitogenome sequences of S. hakkarica. With a total of 14,508,962 reads were generated, with an overall sequence length of approximately 2.19 Gbp. The mitogenome exhibited a GC content of 46.8% and an AT content of 53.2%. The analyses showed that the mitogenome of S. hakkarica is 15,755 bp in length and comprises 37 genes. These include 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), along with a control region. Furthermore, it was determined that 23 of the 37 genes are located on the forward strand, while the remaining 14 genes are situated on the reverse strand. The mitogenome of S. hakkarica shows a high degree of similarity to Orthoptera mitogenomes reported in the literature with respect to the number of PCG, tRNA, and rRNA genes. Although the start and stop codons exhibit overall similarity, specific at the sequence-level differences were identified. In conclusion, this study presents, for the first time, the structural and functional characteristics of the complete mitogenome of S. hakkarica. As the second mitogenome dataset obtained from the subfamily Saginae, it provides an intrageneric evaluation and an important resource for future genetic and phylogenetic studies.