The complete mitochondrial genome of Pocillopora meandrina (Cnidaria: Pocilloporidae), a cauliflower coral.

Pocillopora meandrina Dana, 1846 is a coral species widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific Oceans. Here, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of P. meandrina from the South China Sea. The mitogenome is 17,422 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and 2 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), with a GC content of 30.1%. Eleven PCGs start with ATG, and ten end with TAA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that P. meandrina is closely related to other Pocillopora species. The study provides valuable molecular data for evolutionary and phylogenetic studies of Pocillopora.