Complete mitochondrial genome of the pygmy rabbit

We sequenced the first complete mitochondrial genome of the pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis (17,021 bp in length; GenBank accession: OL436257). Brachylagus is the world’s smallest leporid, endemic to the USA and one of the seven monotypic genera in the family. This true fossorial rabbit is adapted to specialized sagebrush habitat. It is an important taxon in lagomorph evolutionary research, especially the phylogeny of North American leporids as well as climate dynamics and landscape genetics studies, as this species is restricted to one habitat type and can be treated as a model small herbivore in vulnerable ecosystems. The mitogenome was generated from ethanol-preserved muscle tissue DNA extract from a specimen at the Burke Museum, University of Washington, WA, USA.