Family: Pyrstoviridae (interim Report)
This is a summary page created by the ICTV Report Editors using information from associated Taxonomic Proposals and the Master Species List.
Edited by: Mart Krupovic
Posted: April 2023
Summary
The family Pyrstoviridae includes dsDNA viruses that infect hyperhalophilic archaea in the genus Haloarcula (Table 1.Pyrstoviridae). The family Pyrstoviridae was established in 2022 (Master Species List 37).
Table 1.Pyrstoviridae. Characteristics of members of the family Pyrstoviridae.
Characteristic | Description |
Example | Haloarcula tailed virus 3 (MZ334527), species Hatrivirus HATV3, genus Hatrivirus |
Virion | Icosahedral capsid and long contractile tail (siphovirus morphology) |
Genome | Linear, dsDNA genome of 42 kbp, circularly permuted |
Host range | hyperhalophilic archaea of Haloarcula sp. |
Taxonomy | Realm Duplodnaviria, kingdom Heunggongvirae, phylum Uroviricota, class Caudoviricetes, order Kirjokansivirales: 1 genus and 1 species |
Figure 1.Pyrstoviridae. Genome organisation of Haloarcula tailed virus 3, a member of the family Pyrstoviridae. Boxes indicate open reading frames as annotated on GenBank accession MZ334527. |
Figure 2.Pyrstoviridae. Relationships of the taxa connected to the family Pyrstoviridae. |
Derivation of name
Pyrstoviridae: From the Finnish word pyrstö, meaning fish tail.