Complete chloroplast genome of green alga Caulerpa serrulata (Forsskål) J.Agardh, 1837

The complete chloroplast genome of Caulerpa serrulata from South China Sea has been assembled and characterized for the first time. The circular chloroplast genome was 177,848 bp in length, with a GC content of 33.80%. It contained 117 genes, which included 78 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. Like other species in Caulerpa, the chloroplast genome of C. serrulata did not demonstrate a typical quadripartite structure. A total of 35 microsatellites (SSRs) were identified in the genome using MISA. Phylogenetic analysis showed that C. serrulata was closer to Caulerpa cupressoides, which further clarified the phylogenetic relationships of species in Caulerpa.