Research Entomologist USDA-ARS Stoneville, Mississippi, United States
Recent analyses of insect transcriptomes have demonstrated an abundance of novel RNA viruses. The number and diversity of viruses discovered in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) has increased dramatically. To identify virus-like sequences in existing invasive ant transcriptomes, I performed extensive searches of the Transcriptome Sequence Archives (TSA) using newly described and partially described translated virus sequences. RNA viruses present a challenge for discovery because they have low similarity and high mutation rates.
