We here report the first complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of a skipper, Ctenoptilum vasava Moore, 1865 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Pyrginae). The mt genome of the skipper is a circular molecule of 15,468？bp, containing 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 24 putative transfer RNA (tRNA), genes including an extra copy of trnS (AGN) and a tRNA-like insertion trnL (UUR), 13 protein-coding genes and an AT-rich region. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) are initiated by ATN codons and terminated by the typical stop codon TAA or TAG, except for COII which ends with a single T. The intergenic spacer sequence between trnS (AGN) and ND1 genes also contains the ATACTAA motif. The AT-rich region of 429？bp is comprised of nonrepetitive sequences, including the motif ATAGA followed by an 19？bp poly-T stretch, a microsatellite-like (AT)3 (TA)9 element next to the ATTTA motif, an 11？bp poly-A adjacent to tRNAs. Phylogenetic analyses (ML and BI methods) showed that Papilionoidea is not a natural group, and Hesperioidea is placed within the Papilionoidea as a sister to ((Pieridae Lycaenidae) Nymphalidae) while Papilionoidae is paraphyletic to Hesperioidea. This result is remarkably different from the traditional view where Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea are considered as two distinct superfamilies. 1. Introduction The taxonomic status and the phylogenetic position of skippers (Hesperiidae) within Lepidoptera remain a controversial issue [1–3]. Due to the distinct differences between the skippers and the typical butterflies/moths in terms of morphological and behavioral characteristics, such as the short stout bodies, hooked antennae, and rapid skipping flight, the skippers were previously proposed to represent a separate group that is distinct from butterflies/moths in lepidopterans. More specifically, the skippers are assigned to the family Hesperiidae in a monotypic superfamily Hesperioidea, a sister lineage to the typical rhopaloceran butterflies, which mostly belong to superfamily Papilionoidea (true butterflies) [2, 4, 5]. In addition, the three superfamilies Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea, and Hedyloidea share numerous morphological characteristics, particularly in their egg, larval, and pupal stages, and thus were considered to be a large natural group [2]. The Lepidoptera is one of the largest groups of insects, accounting for more than 160,000 species. Despite of the huge taxonomic diversity, the current information on the lepidopteran mt genomes is very limited. Only 40 lepidopteran mt genomes were sequenced, including 10 butterfly species such as Coreana raphaelis [6], Artogeia
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