We have determined more than 80% of the approximately 90 kbp long mtDNA of the chytridiomycete fungus, Rhizophydium sp. #136 (Longcore). The identified genes are typical for fungal mitochondria, and contain very many group introns, which often contain intronic ORFs. Several of these introns are inserted in unique positions of genes, and in genes that rarely contain introns in other species, like atp9 or cox2. The number of identified tRNA genes (six) is so far very low (as in Harpochytrium and in Spizellomyces), but the tRNA structures conform perfectly to the canonical, conserved structure without having to assume any tRNA editing as in Harpochytrium and Spizellomyces. As in Spizellomyces punctatus and Rhizophlyctis rosea, the protein coding genes contain many in-frame UAG "stop" codons, which are likely translated as leucine.
The phylogenetic analysis places Rhizophydium , a member of the Chytridiales, into the same major lineage as Spizellomyces sp. (Spizellomycetales) and Rhizophlyctis rosea, but very distant from the Monoblepharidales.