Identification of a single-nucleocapsid baculovirus isolated from Clanis bilineata tsingtauica (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

A nucleopolyhedrovirus isolated from infected larvae of Clanis bilineata tsingtauica was characterized. Electron microscopical studies on the ultrastructure of C. bilineata nucleopolyhedrovirus (ClbiSNPV) occlusion bodies (OBs) showed several virions (up to 16) with a single nucleocapsid packaged within a single viral envelope. The diameter of the OBs was 0.77-1.7 μm with a mean of 1.13 ± 0.19 μm. The complete sequence of the ClbiSNPV polyhedrin (polh) gene contained 741 nucleotides, predicting a protein of 246 amino acids. Phylogenetic analyses using the complete sequence of the polh genes indicated that ClbiSNPV clusters with Group II NPVs. This is the first record of a baculovirus from C. bilineata.