An alphabaculovirus from the zebra caterpillar, Melanchra picta Harris, is an isolate of species Alphabaculovirus maconfiguratae

Abstract

A baculovirus had been previously identified in larvae of the zebra caterpillar, Melanchra (formerly Ceramica) picta Harris. To further characterize this virus, two isolates, Melanchra picta nucleopolyhedrovirus-185 (MepiNPV-185) and MepiNPV-600, were fully sequenced. Analysis of the genome sequences revealed that both isolates are members of alphabaculovirus species Alphabaculovirus maconfiguratae, along with alphabaculoviruses of the bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata Walker. MepiNPV-600 displayed relatively low virulence against larvae of Trichoplusia ni Hübner in bioassays compared to other T. ni-pathogenic alphabaculoviruses. MepiNPV likely arose from a cross-species transfer between M. configurata and M. picta larvae, which often occur together.