Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni)

The mountain nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni) is listed as an endangered species in the IUCN Red List due to a steep decline in its population size. Here we report the complete mitochondrial genome of T. buxtoni for the first time. Furthermore, we present and discuss a phylogenetic tree including 11 other Bovidae species. The new mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) displayed the typical gene organization and composition commonly found in Ruminantia mitogenomes. The complete mitochondrial genome of T. buxtoni was 16,601 bp in length, with 37 genes completely sequenced and annotated. The average AT content was 60.5%. Besides the A/T-rich regions, 15 noncoding regions, comprising 105 nucleotides, were observed. Overlaps, ranging from 1 to 38 bp, spanned over 7 regions. The 22 identified tRNAs ranged from 60 to 75 bp (trn^Leu) in length. The two rRNAs, which were located between trn^Phe and trn^Leu, and separated by trn^Val, were 1510 and 753 bp long. The molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that the mountain nyala is closely related to three other Tragelaphus species.