Chloroplast genome assembly and phylogenetic analysis of Pterocarpus dalbergioides Roxb., an endemic timber species

Pterocarpus dalbergioides commonly known as Andaman Padauk is endemic to the Andaman Islands of India and is known for its exquisite timber quality. Due to overexploitation and poor regeneration, the species is classified as vulnerable by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are no genomic resources reported in this species to date. In the present study, a near-complete chloroplast (Cp) genome of P. dalbergioides was assembled from leaf transcriptome data. The size of the assembled Cp genome was 159 kb containing a total of 157 genes. Comparative analysis revealed a congruence in genome size, structure, gene content, and gene order with previously published Pterocarpus Cp genomes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the closest relationship between P. dalbergioides and Pterocarpus santalinus which were grouped together as sister clades with other Asian species. African and Asian species of Pterocarpus were clearly demarcated in the phylogenetic tree. The availability of the Cp genome of P. dalbergioides will support future studies in systematics, species evolution, population structure analysis, and species discrimination. It will facilitate the development of high-resolution DNA barcodes for timber forensics.