The complete mitochondrial genome of the thrips predator Montandoniola moraguesi (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and its phylogenetic analysis

Montandoniola moraguesi (Puton) is a widely deployed biological control agent against gall-inducing thrips, yet genomic resources for its accurate identification and phylogenetic placement remain limited. In this study, we present the complete mitochondrial genome of M. moraguesi to characterize its genomic organization and clarify its phylogenetic position within Anthocoridae. The circular mitogenome is 15,062 bp in length, exhibits a high A + T content of 74.04%, and contains the typical set of 37 mitochondrial genes along with a control region. Gene organization follows the ancestral insect mitochondrial pattern. Structural annotation revealed that COX2 and ATP6 terminate with incomplete stop codons (T–), while trnS1 lacks the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. Phylogenetic analysis based on all 13 protein-coding genes strongly supported M. moraguesi as the sister lineage to the genus Orius (BS = 100, PP = 1.00). These results provide molecular validation for the morphological classification of the tribe Oriini and supply essential genetic markers for distinguishing this predator from closely related species in integrated pest management strategies.