The mitochondrial genome of a social wasp, Vespula rufa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

For an ongoing systematic study of Korean Vespidae, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome of a social wasp, Vespula rufa (Linnaeus 1758), from the South Korea. The mitogenome is 17,521 bp in length, comprising 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The nucleotide composition is 40.5% adenines, 43.0% thymines, 6.0% guanines, and 10.5% cytosines. The GC content is 16.5%. A maximum-likelihood analysis was conducted to understand phylogenetic relationships, based on 13 complete mitogenome sequences of Vespinae species. We recognized that V. rufa is being placed basal within the genus Vespula . The complete mitochondrial genome of V. rufa provides useful genetic information for further studies.