| Summary: | The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region from Capromys pilorides, an autochthon Cuban rodent, was sequenced and compared to two other species of hystricognath caviomorph rodents, in order to know patterns of variation and to explore the existence of previously described domains and other elements in rodents. The results revealed that the complete D-loop region of this species is 1336 base pairs long. Our data were compatible with the proposal of three domains [extended terminal associated sequences (ETAS), central (CD), and conserved sequence blocks (CSB)] within the control region, as well as the subsequences ETAS1, ETAS2, CSB1, CSB2, and CSB3. Likewise, a repetitive DNA region between the subsequences CSB1 and CSB2 was observed. The most conserved domain in the mitochondrial control region was the CD domain followed by ETAS and CSB domains in that order. The comparative analysis on base composition and genetic distance support the rationale of using the mitochondrial control region as a source of useful markers for population genetic studies with application to the conservation of this and other related Cuban rodent species, some of them under severe extinction risk.
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