Complete Mitochondrial Genome and Phylogenetic Analysis of (Aves: Passeriformes: Muscicapidae).

(Vieillot, 1817), the White-browed Bush Robin, is a small passerine bird widely distributed in Asian countries. Here, we successfully sequenced its mitogenome using the Illumina Novaseq 6000 platform (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) for PE 2 × 150 bp sequencing. Combined with other published mitogenomes, we conducted the first comprehensive comparative mitogenome analysis of Muscicapidae birds and reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships between Muscicapidae and related groups. The mitogenome was 16,723 bp in size, and it possessed the typical avian mitogenome structure and organization. Most PCGs of were initiated strictly with the typical start codon ATG, while and were started with GTG. RSCU statistics showed that CUA, CGA, and GCC were relatively high frequency in the mitogenome. and shared very similar mitogenomic features. All 13 PCGs of Muscicapidae mitogenomes had experienced purifying selection. Specifically, had the highest rate of evolution (0.13296), whereas had the lowest (0.01373). The monophylies of Muscicapidae, Turdidae, and Paradoxornithidae were strongly supported. The clade of ((Muscicapidae + Turdidae) + Sturnidae) in Passeriformes was supported by both Bayesian Inference and Maximum likelihood analyses. The latest taxonomic status of many passerine birds with complex taxonomic histories were also supported. For example, , , and were allocated to Turdidae in other literature; our phylogenetic topologies clearly supported their membership in Muscicapidae; , , , and were formerly classified into Muscicapidae; we supported their membership in Paradoxornithidae; was originally classified as a member of Muscicapidae; our results are consistent with a position in Stenostiridae. Our study enriches the genetic data of and provides new insights into the molecular phylogeny and evolution of passerine birds.