Complete mitochondrial genome sequencing of Epuraea terminalis (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and phylogenetic analysis of Cucujoidea

Using the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform, we sequenced and analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of Epuraea terminalis (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae). The mitochondrial genome was assembled, annotated, and characterized. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian methods based on the protein-coding gene (PCG) sequences of 38 species within the superfamily Cucujoidea. The complete mitochondrial genome of E. terminalis was 15666 bp in length (GenBank accession number: PP350830), containing 13 PCGs, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a single non-coding control region. Among the 13 PCGs, 11 possessed the typical ATN start codon, while the remaining two used TTG (nad1) and ACC (cox1) as initiation codons, respectively. Ten PCGs terminated with the termination codon TAA or T(AA), whereas atp8, cob, and nad1 utilized TAG as stop codons. Only the trnS1 gene lacked the DHU arm, while all other 21 tRNA genes adopted the typical cloverleaf structure. The phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial genomes of 38 Cucujoidea species revealed that the families Nitidulidae, Helotidae, and Erotylidae form a monophyletic clade. Both ML and Bayesian trees consistently indicate that E. terminalis is most closely related to Epuraea guttata.