Family: Nyamiviridae

Genus: Crustavirus

Distinguishing features

The genus Crustavirus includes three species. Wēnzhōu crab virus 1 (WzCV-1) was first described during a landmark next-generation sequencing study in China. The virus was found in Asian paddle crabs (Charybdis japonica A. Milne-Edwards, 1861) yellowish brown crabs (Charybdis lucifera Fabricius, 1798), and stalked barnacles (Capitulum mitella Foster, 1980) (Li et al., 2015). 

Virion

Morphology

Not reported. 

Nucleic acid

Non-segmented, negative-sense RNA. 

Proteins

Known crustavirus genome sequences encode at least three proteins, a putative nucleocapsid protein, glycoprotein and large protein identified on the basis of sequence similarity and structural properties shared with mononegavirus homologues. 

Genome organization and replication

Crustaviruses have negative-sense RNA genomes of 7.5–9.7 kb (Shi et al., 2016, Li et al., 2015). There is no data on virus replication. 

Biology

Crustavirus genome sequences were isolated from crabs and barnacles. 

Species demarcation criteria

Due to the small number of genus members, no firm species demarcation criteria have been established beyond phylogeny and the hosts the viruses infect.