Genome sequence of a new densovirus infecting the leaf-curl plum aphid brachycaudus helichrysi

Using degenerate primers and an overlap PCR approach, we identified a new densovirus (family Parvoviridae, subfamily Densovirinae) in an asexual clone of the leaf-curl plum aphid, Brachycaudus helichrysi, collected in Baoji, China, in June 2021. A nearly complete genome sequence of 5,551 nucleotides (nt) was obtained. The virus, with the proposed name "Brachycaudus helichrysi densovirus" (BhDV), has an ambisense genome organization with two ORFs in the sense strand encoding the nonstructural proteins NS1 and NS2 and one ORF at the antisense strand encoding the virion capsid protein VP. These proteins share 37-70% and 10-33% amino acid sequence identity with homologs of the other aphid densoviruses and non-aphid densoviruses, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that this virus is a member of a new species in the genus Hemiambidensovirus.