R. Thava Prakasa PandianBhavishyaV. Kavi SidharthanM.K. RajeshMerin BabuSusheel Kumar SharmaB.J. Nirmal KumarM. ChaithraVinayaka Hegde2025-12-092025-12-092024Virology. 600: 110256. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.virol.2024.110256.http://14.139.158.120:4000/handle/123456789/8904Arecanut palm is a commercially important plantation crop valued for its nut. In this investigation, we report the discovery of a putative novel arepavirus, named areca palm necrotic ringspot virus 2 (ANRSV2), in necrotic ringspot diseased areca palms in Bantwal, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India through RNA-sequencing and transmission electron microscopy. Further, the presence of ANRSV2 in the diseased samples was confirmed through reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays. In addition, by mining public domain transcriptome data for arepaviral sequences, we identified a putative novel arepavirus in Psychotria rubra, a non-palm host. We recovered the genome sequences of the areca palm necrotic ringspot virus in honey bees, tomato, Onobrychis viciifolia, and Rhamnus heterophylla. These findings broaden our comprehension of arepaviral diversity and host range, and suggest an intriguing possibility of pollen-mediated arepaviral transmission that necessitates empirical validation. Further studies are needed to understand the biology of identified putative novel arepaviruses.enNecrotic ring spot diseaseAreca palmIndiaArepavirusNovelData-miningArticle