3openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorThe European mantis, Mantis religiosa L. (Mantodea Mantidae), is distributed all over Southern Europe, Africa and Asia, and has
been reported as alien species in North America. Here we present the mitogenome sequence of an Italian individual and compare it
with previously sequenced Chinese and Canadian samples. The assembled mitogenome has a length of 15,530 nucleotides and includes 13 protein coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 23 tRNA genes (including the additional Arginine tRNA already observed
in other M. religiosa mitogenomes), and the control region. Based on the inferred phylogenetic relationships, the Canadian sample is
more closely related to the Italian than to the Chinese one, in line with the putative European origin of the North American invasive
population. Time-calibrated phylogeny dated the divergence among extant European Mantis lineages at 2.33 million years ago, consistent with the first appearance of M. religiosa fossils. Our results support a European origin of the North American M. religiosa
population and suggest that selective processes acting on mitogenome may have contributed to its adaptation in the new area.openLuchetti, A; Ometto, L; Rota Stabelli, O.Luchetti, A.; Ometto, L.; Rota Stabelli, O