The complete mitochondrial genome of the American palm cixiid, Haplaxius crudus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae)

Haplaxius crudus (the American palm cixiid) is a major insect pest of various economically important palms. H. crudus persists in tropical and subtropical regions where it is known to transmit the lethal yellowing (LY) phytoplasma. It has been implicated as the putative vector of Lethal bronzing disease (LBD), a destructive phytoplasma-induced palm disease affecting over 16 species of ornamental and agricultural palms. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of H. crudus was assembled and characterized from PacBio Sequel II sequencing using the University of Florida’s HiPerGator supercomputer. The circular mitogenome of H. crudus is 15,845 bp long and encodes 37 mitochondrial genes (including 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs) in addition to a putative non-coding internal control region. The nucleotide composition of H. crudus is asymmetric A and T (44.8 %A, 13.4 %C, 8.5 %G and 33.3 %T). Protein-coding genes (PCGs) possess the standard invertebrate mitochondrial start codons with few exceptions while the gene content and order of the H. crudus mitogenome is identical to most completely sequenced insect mitochondrial genomes. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that H. crudus is closely related to two planthoppers in the family Delphacidae: N. lugens and L. striatellus, which is the established sister group to Cixiidae. Our studies have elucidated the first reference mitochondrial genome of Haplaxius crudus, providing structural analysis of the circular genome and encoded gene regions. This study demonstrates the significance of understanding the structure and function of the mitochondrial genome to inform effective diagnostic and management strategies for insect pests.