Complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of two endemic subspecies, Salvelinus leucomaenis imbrius and Salvelinus leucomaenis pluvius (Salmonid, White spotted charr) in Japan

The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of two endemic subspecies of the White spotted charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis) in Japan were determined. The complete mtDNA sequences of two individuals of S. l. imbrius and S. l. pluvicus were analyzed and compared with those of other charrs in GenBank. The whole mtDNA sequences of S. l. imbrius and S. l. pluvicus were 16,655 bp in length. The whole mtDNA sequence comparisons between S. leucomaenis in Japan and other charrs in GenBank, including charrs from East Asia to North American, revealed that S. l. imbrius and S. l. pluvius in Japan belonged to a different group from S. curilus (syn. S. alma krascheninnikovi), which is sympatric with S. leucomaenis in Hokkaido. Furthermore, it was discovered that the Japanese subspecies had 8 nucleotide deletions and four nucleotide insertions compared with S. curilus.