Draft mitochondrial genome assembly of Neltuma alba (Caesalpinioideae, tribe Mimoseae), a vulnerable tree from the Atacama Desert, Chile

Abstract

In this study, we assembled the draft mitochondrial genome of Neltuma alba, a vulnerable native species inhabiting the Atacama Desert from Chile. Here, we describe the structure and phylogeny of the complete mitochondrial genome of N. alba. The mitochondrial genome consisted of three linear DNA sequences. The whole mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences comprised 717,588 bp in length and contained 36 protein-coding genes, 19 tRNA and three rRNA. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on the seven mitochondrial genomes currently available in NCBI GenBank confirmed the placement of N. alba within the Neltuma genus, supporting its classification within the tribe Mimoseae. This study presents, for the first time, the complete mitochondrial genome of N. alba, offering a valuable resource for tracing the evolutionary and geographic diversification of the Neltuma genus in America.