ABSTRACT :
Crustaceans, pivotal in marine ecosystems and global diets. However, our understanding of the diversity and evolution of viruses in crustaceans is still limited. Here, we collected 249 batches of crustaceans, including 20 species, from six continents, 21 countries, and over 100 geographic locations worldwide from 1977 to 2021. We identified 145 RNA viruses, 124 of which were divergent from known viruses. These were categorized into 18 viral families and three unclassified groups, often clustering with viruses identified from invertebrates. Notably, many crustacean viruses showed close ties to those infecting different species within the same ecological niche. In addition, the genome structures of the newly discovered viruses exhibited remarkable diversity. These findings provide novel insights into the diversity of viruses in crustaceans and offer essential data for understanding the prevalence and risk of viruses in the global aquaculture industry.