The complete mitochondrial genome of Panthera pardus (Felidae: Pantheriinae), a first-class national-protected wild animal from China

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Panthera pardus from Northern China by the shotgun genome skimming methods. The mitogenome of P. pardus is 16,962 bp in length with a base composition of 31.8% A, 27.1% T, 26.5% C and 14.6% G, and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one non-coding control region (CR). All protein-coding genes start with a typical ATN codon, while seven of the 13 PCGs terminate with a codon TAA, and the remainder end with a single T except Cytb which terminates with a codon AGA. The phylogenetic trees based on 13 protein-coding genes indicated that Panthera species formed a monophyletic group which is sister to the clade comprised by the genus Neofelis within Pantheriinae.