The scleractinian coral family Dendrophylliidae is a major component of shallow and deep-water coral ecosystems worldwide, but our knowledge on the evolutionary history of the family remains scarce. Here, we used ezRAD coupled with Illumina sequencing technology and reconstructed the complete mitochondrial genome of Dendrophyllia minuscula (GenBank accession number OL634845), from mesophotic depths in the Red Sea NEOM area. The mitochondrial genome of D. minuscula consisted of 19,054 bp, organized in 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 2 tRNA genes, in agreement with the Scleractinia typical mitogenome organization. This complete mitochondrial genome contributes toward a better knowledge of mesophotic and deep-water coral diversity and evolutionary history.

Depth range
146- 147 m

Mesophotic “mentions”
5 x (total of 996 words)

Classification
* Presents original data
* Focused on 'mesophotic' depth range
* Focused on 'mesophotic coral ecosystem'

Fields
Molecular ecology

Focusgroups
Scleractinia (Hard Corals)

Locations
Saudi Arabia - Red Sea

Platforms
Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)