The mitochondrial genomes of the endemic and endangered South Philippine Hawk-eagle Nisaetus pinskeri and other Nisaetus Hawk-eagles (Aves, Accipitriformes)
- 1National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
- 2Philippine Genome Center, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
- 3Philippine Eagle Foundation, Philippine Eagle Center, Davao City, Philippines.
Abstract
Southeast Asia is home to 22 endemic raptors, and almost all are classified as “Endangered” or higher by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The limited range and fragmented distribution of some Southeast Asian raptors from the genus Nisaetus hinder the characterization of these endangered birds. This study presents the mitochondrial sequences of the Pinsker’s Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus pinskeri) and Changeable Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) and conducts a comparative mitogenome analysis across Accipitriformes. The partial mitogenome lengths of N. pinskeri and N. cirrhatus are 18,654 bp and 17,874 bp, with a GC content of 46.4% and 47.4%, respectively. An extra cytosine at position 174 of the nad3 gene was present in both mitogenomes, which was not previously observed in other Nisaetus species. Phylogenetic analysis recapitulated the topology of the order Accipitriformes. It showed that N. pinskeri and N. cirrhatus are closely related to each other and sister to the rest of the Nisaetus representatives. Moreover, the trees based on concatenated mitochondrial protein-coding genes were closer to the latest reported phylogenies than single-gene trees using conventional mitochondrial markers. The selection pressure analysis showed that all protein-coding genes experienced purifying selection, with the highest in atp8 and the lowest in cox1. As the first report of the near-complete mitogenomes of these raptors, this study expands the available genomic resources for these understudied raptors and provides a foundation for future population genetic research.
Related
- Genomic diversity, population structure, and relatedness of critically endangered Philippine eagles under conservation management
- Complete Mitogenomes of the Critically Endangered Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) Reveal Very Low Mitochondrial Diversity and Two Major Maternal Clades.
- Integrating conservation genetics into Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) research: insights and future directions
- Bacterial Diversity and Community Assembly in Deep-Sea Sediments: Observations from the Philippine Sea
- Unmasking genetic load: Genomic inbreeding drives growth depression in captive critically endangered Chinese Bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis)
BibTeX
@article{perdon2026mitochondrial,
title = {{The mitochondrial genomes of the endemic and endangered South Philippine Hawk-eagle Nisaetus pinskeri and other Nisaetus Hawk-eagles (Aves, Accipitriformes)}},
author = {Dhan Mikhail Perdon and John Michael Egana and Francis Tablizo and Renato Jacinto Mantaring and Kris Punayan and Shiela Mae Araiza and Jo-Hannah Llames and Ma Celeste Abad and Jayson Ibañez and Cynthia P Saloma},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0360538},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360538},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The mitochondrial genomes of the endemic and endangered South Philippine Hawk-eagle Nisaetus pinskeri and other Nisaetus Hawk-eagles (Aves, Accipitriformes)
AU - Dhan Mikhail Perdon
AU - John Michael Egana
AU - Francis Tablizo
AU - Renato Jacinto Mantaring
AU - Kris Punayan
AU - Shiela Mae Araiza
AU - Jo-Hannah Llames
AU - Ma Celeste Abad
AU - Jayson Ibañez
AU - Cynthia P Saloma
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0360538
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360538
AB - Southeast Asia is home to 22 endemic raptors, and almost all are classified as “Endangered” or higher by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The limited range and fragmented distribution of some Southeast Asian raptors from the genus Nisaetus hinder the characterization of these endangered birds. This study presents the mitochondrial sequences of the Pinsker’s Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus pinskeri) and Changeable Hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus) and conducts a comparative mitogenome analysis across Accipitriformes. The partial mitogenome lengths of N. pinskeri and N. cirrhatus are 18,654 bp and 17,874 bp, with a GC content of 46.4% and 47.4%, respectively. An extra cytosine at position 174 of the nad3 gene was present in both mitogenomes, which was not previously observed in other Nisaetus species. Phylogenetic analysis recapitulated the topology of the order Accipitriformes. It showed that N. pinskeri and N. cirrhatus are closely related to each other and sister to the rest of the Nisaetus representatives. Moreover, the trees based on concatenated mitochondrial protein-coding genes were closer to the latest reported phylogenies than single-gene trees using conventional mitochondrial markers. The selection pressure analysis showed that all protein-coding genes experienced purifying selection, with the highest in atp8 and the lowest in cox1. As the first report of the near-complete mitogenomes of these raptors, this study expands the available genomic resources for these understudied raptors and provides a foundation for future population genetic research.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -