Abstract
The tea lace bug, Stephanitis chinensis Drake (Hemiptera: Tingidae), is a pest which feeds on the undersides of tea leaves by piercing the epidermis and sucking the sap, and causes great harm to plant growth and tea production. We have obtained the whole mitochondrial genome of S. chinensis (GenBank accession No. MF498769). The entire mt genome is 16,667 bp in size with an A + T content of 78.41%. The tea lace bug mt genome encodes all 37 genes that are typically found in animal mt genomes, consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA, and 22 transfer RNA genes. The gene order is consistent with other sequenced mt genome of lace bugs. The A + T-rich region of this genome is 2215 bp long with the A + T content of 82.58%, and located between the rrnS and trnI genes. Phylogenetic analysis performed using 13 PCGs with 14 heteropteran insects showed that S. chinensis clusters with other Tingidae species.