UC Santa Cruz

The complete 16,515bp nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome was determined for the black surfperch, Embiotoca jacksoni (Perciformes: Embiotocidae). The black surfperch mitochondrial genome contains 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and the non-coding control region (D-loop), the gene order of which is identical to that observed in most vertebrates. The protein-coding gene sequences of E. jacksoni mitochondrial DNA were compared with two other embiotocid surfperches with available complete mitochondrial genomes, Cymatogaster aggregata and Ditrema temminckii. Across all mitochondrial protein-coding genes in surfperches the weighted average substitution rate was 2.079% per My and average dN/dS ratios for each protein-coding gene ranged from 0.016 in CytB to 0.608 in ND3. Substitution rates and dN/dS ratios were relatively high for ATP8 compared to other protein-coding genes. Although most protein-coding genes showed signals of purifying selection, we found evidence for positive selection in ND3 in E. jacksoni.