# The complete mitochondrial genomes of the freshwater mussel Ortmanniana ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819): male and female mitotypes

## TL;DR

This study reveals both male and female mitochondrial genomes of a freshwater mussel using non-lethal methods and high-throughput sequencing.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a non-lethal method to recover both male and female mitotypes in Ortmanniana ligamentina.

## Key findings

- Both male and female mitotypes of Ortmanniana ligamentina were successfully recovered.
- Non-lethal collection methods combined with high-throughput sequencing proved effective.
- Increased male mitotype data improves understanding of Unionid genetic diversity.

## Abstract

Freshwater mussels of the Unionida order are important to freshwater ecosystems but are highly imperiled worldwide. Improving our understanding of these species is crucial to their continued conservation. Some Unionid mussels exhibit double uniparental inheritance (DUI) in which individuals have two mitochondrial genomes. Of those species with DUI, sequences of the female mitotype are most prevalent in genetic databases. Here, we demonstrate the ability to recover both mitotypes of Ortmanniana ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819) from a non-lethal collection method coupled with high-throughput sequencing. Increased male mitotype sequence representation facilitates understanding Unionid genetic diversity and development of molecular tools for species detection.