Complete mitochondrial genome of Aethia cristatella (Charadriiformes: Alcidae)

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the crested auklet, Aethia cristatella, was obtained using high-throughput whole genome sequencing. This is the first report indicating that the complete mitochondrial genome of Aethia has been sequenced. The circular genome is 16,848 bp in length. It contains thirteen protein-coding genes, twenty-two transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and a control region. The ND3 gene possessed an insertion mutation. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that A. cristatella is the sister clade of P. aleuticus clustered with the Alcinae species, belonging to Alcidae.