Exploring the Virome of Gyropsylla spegazziniana: A Major Yerba Mate Pest

The yerba mate psyllid, Gyropsylla spegazziniana, represents a major pest affecting yerba mate production, leading to considerable economic losses. Although several aspects of its ecology and management have been investigated, little is known about the viruses associated with this insect pest. In this study, we conducted the first RNA high-throughput sequencing (HTS) analysis of G. spegazziniana to examine its virome, uncovering a diverse array of previously undescribed RNA viruses. Our analysis led to the identification of five novel viruses spanning different viral lineages. These include representatives with evolutionary affinities to beny-like, picorna-like, and sobemo-like viruses, provisionally designated as Gyropsylla spegazziniana beny-like virus 1 (GSBlV1), Gyropsylla spegazziniana picorna-like virus 1 (GSPlV1), and Gyropsylla spegazziniana sobemo-like virus 1-3 (GSSlV1-3), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the bi-segmented, highly divergent sobemo-like viruses revealed that these viruses are grouped with other insect-associated sobemo-like viruses. The beny-like virus clustered together with other insect-associated beny-like viruses, whereas the picorna-like virus clustered together with psyllid-associated picorna-like viruses. Overall, these findings demonstrate that G. spegazziniana harbors a complex and previously uncharacterized virome. This work provides a foundation for further research into the ecological significance, evolutionary patterns, and possible use of these viruses in biological control strategies of this major pest within yerba mate agroecosystems.