The complete mitochondrial genome of critically endangered Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) and its comparison with the other red deer

Abstract Background: Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) or Kashmiri stag belongs to the family Cervidae and is the only surviving red deer in the Indian subcontinent. Its complete mitogenome sequence is lacking in the open database for further phylogenetic inferences.Methods and results: We sequenced and characterized the first complete mitogenome of Hangul, which was 16,354 bp in length. It was compared with other red deer subspecies. We observed eight pairs of overlapping genes and 15 intergenic spacers in between the mitochondrial regions. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) for the 13 PCGs of Hangul consisted of 3597 codons (excluding stop codons). We observed a highest frequency for leucine (11.75%) and the lowest for tryptophan amino acid (1.12%) in 13 PCGs of Hangul. All the tRNA genes showed a typical secondary cloverleaf arrangement, excluding tRNA-Ser in which dihydrouridine arm did not form a stable structure. Conclusions: The Bayesian inference phylogenetic tree indicated that Hangul clustered within the Tarim deer group (C. h. yarkandensis) and closed to C. e. hippelaphus, which formed the western clade. Besides, the subspecies of C. nippon and C. canadensis clustered together and formed an eastern clade. The finding was supported by the mean pairwise genetic distance based on both complete mitogenome and 13 PCGs. The comparative study of the Hangul mitogenome with other red deer provides crucial information for understanding the evolutionary relationships. It offers a valuable resource for conserving this critically endangered cervid with a limited distribution range.