New Mitochondrial Gene Rearrangement in , and (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Three Parasitoid Species of Economic Interest.

The family Braconidae consists mostly of specialized parasitoids, some of which hold potential in biocontrol of agricultural pests. and are parasitoids associated with , a major pest of cultivated olives. The native range of is the Mediterranean, and and are native to sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports the mitochondrial genomes of the three species, thus laying the foundation for mitogenomic analyses in the genus . Comparative mitogenomics within Braconidae showed a novel gene arrangement in in involving translocation and inversion of transfer RNA genes. The placement of in the subfamily Opiinae was well-supported, and the divergence between and its closest relative () was at ~55 MYA [95% highest posterior density (HPD): 34-83 MYA]. occupied the most basal position among the three , having diverged from the other two species ~11 MYA (95% HPD: 6-17 MYA). and were recovered as sister species diverged at ~2 MYA (95% HPD: 1.1-3.6 MYA). This phylogeny combining new sequences and a set of 31 other cyclostomes and non-cyclostomes highlights the importance of a comprehensive taxonomic coverage of Braconidae mitogenomes to overcome the lack of robustness in the placement of several subfamilies.