The complete mitochondrial genomes of five lichenized fungi in the genus <italic>Usnea</italic> (Ascomycota: Parmeliaceae).

Known colloquially as ‘Old Man’s Beard’, <italic>Usnea</italic> is a genus of lichenized Ascomycete fungi characterized by having a fruticose growth form and cartilaginous central axis. The complete mitochondrial genomes of <italic>Usnea halei</italic>, <italic>U. mutabilis</italic>, <italic>U. subfusca</italic>, <italic>U. subgracilis</italic>, and <italic>U. subscabrosa</italic> were sequenced using Illumina data and then assembled <italic>de novo</italic>. These mitogenomes ranged in size from 52,486 bp (<italic>U. subfusca</italic>) to 94,464 bp (<italic>U. subgracilis</italic>). All were characterized by having high levels of intronic and intergenic variation, such as ORFs that encode proteins with homology to two homing endonuclease types, LAGLIDADG and GIY-YIG. Genes annotated within these mitogenomes include 14 protein-coding genes, the large and small ribosomal subunits (LSU and SSU), and 23-26 tRNAs. Notably, the <italic>atp9</italic> gene was absent from each genome. Genomic synteny was highly conserved across the five species. Five conserved mitochondrial genes (<italic>nad2</italic>, <italic>nad4</italic>, <italic>cox1</italic>, <italic>cox2</italic>, and <italic>cox3</italic>) were used to infer a best estimate maximum likelihood phylogeny among these five <italic>Usnea</italic> and other relatives, which yielded relationships consistent with prior published phylogenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]