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We present the first mitochondrial genome of Carcharhinus falciformis from the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Marine Protected Area (MPA). The mitochondrial genome of C. falciformis is 16,701 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a non-coding control region (D-loop). GC content was at 40.1%. The control region was 1063 bp in length. The complete mitogenome sequence of C. falciformis from the BIOT MPA will enable improved conservation measures of the CITES listed species through studies of species distribution, population abundance, fishing pressure and wildlife trade., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

We present the first mitochondrial genome of Trianenodon obesus from the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Marine Protected Area. The mitogenome was 16,702 bp in length and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and a non-coding control region (D-loop). GC content was at 38.9%. The control region was 1064 bp in length. This mitogenome for the BIOT MPA T. obesus differed from the previously published T. obesus genome by 15 bp and the differences include a 2 bp insertion and 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms distributed across the mitogenome in the BIOT MPA sequence. Whole mitogenome sequence of T. obesus from the Chagos archipelago presented here fills existing gaps in genetic information on marine species from the BIOT MPA and provides additional tools for species specific assessments as to the effectiveness of MPA management. In addition, methods presented here lay the framework for genetic studies in remote locations with limited infrastructure., Competing Interests: Authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

The Chagos archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) has been lacking in detailed genetic studies of its chondrichthyan populations. Chondrichthyes in Chagos continue to be endangered through illegal fishing operations, necessitating species distribution and abundance studies to facilitate urgent monitoring and conservation of the species. Here, we present a complete mitochondrial genome of the Silvertip Shark, Carcharhinus albimarginatus sampled in the Chagos archipelago. The mitochondrial genome of C. albimarginatus was 16,706 bp in length and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, a replication origin and a D-loop region. GC content was at 38.7% and the control region was 1,065 bp in length. We expect that mitogenomes presented here will aid development of molecular assays for species distribution studies. Overall these studies will promote effective conservation of marine ecosystemes in the BIOT., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

We report the first mitochondrial genome sequences for the gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos . Two specimens from the British Indian Ocean Territory were sequenced independently using two different next generation sequencing methods, namely short read sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq and long read sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore Technologies' MinION sequencer. The two sequences are 99.9% identical and are 16,705 base pairs (bp) and 16,706 bp in length. The mitogenome contains 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes and two non-coding regions; the control region and the origin of light-strand replication (OL)., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)