biostudies-literatureXiong CNational Natural Science Foundation of China94https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11856489biostudies-literatureUnknown11(2)Members of the genus <i>Moelleriella</i> (Hypocreales, Clavicipitaceae) are insect pathogens with specificity for scale insects and whiteflies. However, no mitochondrial genomes are available for these fungi. Here, we assembled seven mitogenomes from <i>M. zhongdongii</i>, <i>M. libera</i>, <i>M. raciborskii</i>, <i>M. gracilispora</i>, <i>M. oxystoma</i>, <i>Moelleriella</i> sp. CGMCC 3.18909, and <i>Moelleriella</i> sp. CGMCC 3.18913, which varied in size from 40.8 to 95.7 Kb. Synteny and codon usage bias was relatively conserved, with the mitochondrial gene arrangement being completely homologous to the gene order of 21 other species within the Hypocreales. Nevertheless, significant intron polymorphism was observed between <i>Moelleriella</i> species. Evolutionary analyses revealed that all 15 core protein-coding genes had ka/ks < 1, indicating purifying selection pressure. Sequence variation within the mitochondrial ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 (<i>atp6</i>) gene showed the largest genetic distance, with the ATP synthase F0 subunit 9 (<i>atp9</i>) gene showing the smallest. Comparative analyses of mitogenomes revealed that introns were the primary factor contributing to the size variation in <i>Moelleriella</i> and, more broadly, within Hypocreales mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the seven <i>Moelleriella</i> species examined form a well-supported clade, most closely related to <i>Metarhizium</i>. These data present the first mitogenomes from <i>Moelleriella</i> and further advance research into the taxonomy, origin, evolution, and genomics of <i>Moelleriella</i>.Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland)Mitochondrial Genomes from Fungal the Entomopathogenic <i>Moelleriella</i> Genus Reveals Evolutionary History, Intron Dynamics and Phylogeny.PMC11856489U180323232270029Qiu JYang JYang LShang JLin YPu HXiong WKeyhani NOZhu MWu ZQiu ZGuan XZheng MMu TXiong CLin LMao YfalseMitochondrial Genomes from Fungal the Entomopathogenic <i>Moelleriella</i> Genus Reveals Evolutionary History, Intron Dynamics and Phylogeny.Members of the genus <i>Moelleriella</i> (Hypocreales, Clavicipitaceae) are insect pathogens with specificity for scale insects and whiteflies. However, no mitochondrial genomes are available for these fungi. Here, we assembled seven mitogenomes from <i>M. zhongdongii</i>, <i>M. libera</i>, <i>M. raciborskii</i>, <i>M. gracilispora</i>, <i>M. oxystoma</i>, <i>Moelleriella</i> sp. CGMCC 3.18909, and <i>Moelleriella</i> sp. CGMCC 3.18913, which varied in size from 40.8 to 95.7 Kb. Synteny and codon usage bias was relatively conserved, with the mitochondrial gene arrangement being completely homologous to the gene order of 21 other species within the Hypocreales. Nevertheless, significant intron polymorphism was observed between <i>Moelleriella</i> species. Evolutionary analyses revealed that all 15 core protein-coding genes had ka/ks < 1, indicating purifying selection pressure. Sequence variation within the mitochondrial ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 (<i>atp6</i>) gene showed the largest genetic distance, with the ATP synthase F0 subunit 9 (<i>atp9</i>) gene showing the smallest. Comparative analyses of mitogenomes revealed that introns were the primary factor contributing to the size variation in <i>Moelleriella</i> and, more broadly, within Hypocreales mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the seven <i>Moelleriella</i> species examined form a well-supported clade, most closely related to <i>Metarhizium</i>. These data present the first mitogenomes from <i>Moelleriella</i> and further advance research into the taxonomy, origin, evolution, and genomics of <i>Moelleriella</i>.2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Jan2025-04-03T23:44:21.664Z2025-04-03T23:44:21.664ZS-EPMC118564893999738810.3390/jof11020094