Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of : New Insights into the Color Polymorphism of Millipedes.

There has been debate about whether individuals with different color phenotypes should have different taxonomic status. In order to determine whether the different color phenotypes of require separate taxonomic status or are simply synonyms, here, the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of two different colored , i.e., red and white , are presented. The two mitogenomes were 15,781 bp and 15,798 bp in length, respectively. Each mitogenome contained 13 PCGs, 19 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, and 1 CR, with a lack of , , and compared to other Polydesmida species. All genes were located on a single strand in two mitogenomes. Mitochondrial DNA analyses revealed that red and white did not show clear evolutionary differences. Furthermore, no significant divergence was discovered by means of base composition analysis. As a result, we suggest that white might be regarded as a synonym for red . The current findings confirmed the existence of color polymorphism in , which provides exciting possibilities for future research. It is necessary to apply a combination of molecular and morphological methods in the taxonomy of millipedes.