Rottboellia yellow mottle virus is a distinct species within the genus Sobemovirus.

Once considered a tentative member of the genus Sobemovirus, rottboellia yellow mottle virus (RoMoV) was excluded from the latest species list of the ICTV after the discovery of imperata yellow mottle virus (IYMV), which resembles RoMoV in host range and geographic origin. Here, sequence analysis of the complete genome of RoMoV suggested that it should be considered a distinct species within the genus Sobemovirus. It has the highest sequence identity (55 %) to ryegrass mottle virus (RGMoV), whereas its sequence identity to IYMV is lower (44 %). In a phylogenetic tree, RoMoV clusters together with RGMoV and artemisia virus A (ArtVA), a dicot-infecting sobemovirus.