Complete mitochondrial genome of the black-dotted grouper Epinephelus stictus.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the black-dotted grouper Epinephelus stictus was first determined in this study. It is 16,524 bp in length, including 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes and one control region, with the typical gene arrangement in vertebrates. There are some variations in the initiate and terminal codons among 13 protein-coding genes. The 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes are 952 and 1705 bp, respectively. The tRNA-Ser2 gene lacked DHC arm and could not fold into a typical clover-leaf secondary structure. The base composition is different between each portion of mitochondrial genome.