Full genome sequence of a novel iflavirus from the leafhopper Recilia dorsalis

The leafhopper Recilia dorsalis (family Cicadellidae, tribe Deltocephalini) is a common pest of rice and a transmitter of various viruses. Here, we discovered a novel virus in an R. dorsalis sample and determined its complete genome sequence by metagenomic sequencing and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Based on a homology search and phylogenetic analysis, we show that the new virus belongs to the genus Iflavirus, family Iflaviridae, and we have tentatively named it "Recilia dorsalis iflavirus 1" (RdIV1). Excluding the polyA tail, the RdIV1 genome is 10,986 nucleotides in length and is predicted to encode a 3,195-amino-acid-long polyprotein that possesses the typical domains of iflaviruses: two rhinovirus-like (rhv-like) capsid domains, a cricket paralysis virus-like (CRPV-like) capsid domain, a helicase domain, a protease domain, and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain. BLAST searches showed that the RdIV1 genome has the highest amino sequence identity (73.8%) in the coat protein region to Euscelidius variegatus virus 1 (EVV-1), a member of to the genus Iflavirus, indicating that RdIV1 can be classified as a new iflavirus.