Horizontal gene transfer from viruses to eukaryotic cells is a pervasive phenomenon. Somatic viral integrations are linked to persistent viral infection whereas integrations into germline cells are maintained in host genomes by vertical transmission and may be co‐opted for host functions. In the arboviral vector Aedes aegypti , an endogenous viral element from a nonretroviral RNA virus (nrEVE) was shown to produce PIWI‐interac...