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Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements MITEs are ubiquitous, non-autonomous class II transposable elements. The moths, <i>Helicoverpa armigera</i> and <i>Helicoverpa zea</i>, are recognized as the two most serious pest species within the genus. Moreover, these pests have the ability to develop insecticide resistance. In the present study, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of MITEs present in <i>H. armigera</i> and <i>H. zea</i> genomes using the bioinformatics tool, MITE tracker. Overall, 3570 and 7405 MITE sequences were identified in <i>H. armigera</i> and <i>H. zea</i> genomes, respectively. Comparative analysis of identified MITE sequences in the two genomes led to the identification of 18 families, comprising 140 MITE members in <i>H. armigera</i> and 161 MITE members in <i>H. zea.</i> Based on target site duplication (TSD) sequences, the identified families were classified into three superfamilies (PIF/harbinger, Tc1/mariner and CACTA). Copy numbers varied from 6 to 469 for each MITE family. Finally, the analysis of MITE insertion sites in defensome genes showed intronic insertions of 11 MITEs in the cytochrome P450, ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC) and esterase genes in <i>H. armigera</i> whereas for <i>H. zea</i>, only one MITE was retrieved in the ABC-C2 gene. These insertions could thus be involved in the insecticide resistance observed in these pests.