A new member of the family Totiviridae associated with arboreal ants (Camponotus nipponicus)

A putative new member of the family Totiviridae was identified in arboreal ants (Camponotus nipponicus). The viral dsRNA consisted of 5,713 nt with two overlapping open reading frames (ORFs). ORF1 encodes a putative capsid protein. ORF2 encodes a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). ORF2 could be translated as a fusion protein with the ORF1 product through a -1 frameshift in the overlapping ORF1. Phylogenetic analysis based on the RdRp revealed that the virus from C. nipponicus is closely related to Camponotus yamaokai virus, a member of the family Totiviridae, from another ant species. The name Camponotus nipponicus virus (CNV) is proposed for the new virus.