The full mitochondrial genome sequence of the greater argonaut (Cephalopoda, Argonautoidea) and its phylogenetic position in Octopodiformes.

The greater argonaut is a species of the paper nautilus (Argonautidae), which is a family in Octopoda. In this paper, we report its full mitogenome sequence, which was obtained from a specimen collected in the Japan Seas near Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, in Japan. The sequence was determined using the NGS Illumina HiSeq platform. With its 37 genes, the mitogenome shows a typical metazoan and Octopoda genomic structure, and similar to the mitogenome of the previously reported congener, . To confirm phylogenetic position in Octopoda, we conducted maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis, using a data set including publicly available 17 Octopodiformes, five Decapodiformes, three Nautiloids and two outgroup Conchiferans. The result confirmed the affinity of Argonautidae to , and the sister group position of this clade against the rest of incirrate Octopods. The mitogenome and phylogeny of reported here will be useful for future studies involving this enigmatic species, including on the reacquisition of external calcified shell structures in mollusks.