ICTV Report

Family: Halspiviridae (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, updated December 2024

Summary

The family Halspiviridae includes dsDNA viruses infecting the halophilic archaeon Haloarcula hispanica of the phylum Euryarchaeota (Table 1 Halspiviridae). The family, which was established in 2020, is not assigned to a higher taxon (Master Species List 35).

Table 1 Halspiviridae. Characteristics of members of the family Halspiviridae.

CharacteristicDescription
ExampleHis1 (AF191796), species Salterprovirus australiense, genus Salterprovirus
VirionSpindle (lemon)-shaped virions, about 75 nm (long-axis) and 35 nm (short axis) (Figure 1 Halspiviridae)
GenomeLinear, double stranded DNA of 14.5 kbp (Figure 2 Halspiviridae)
ReplicationGenome is replicated through protein-primed mechanism by virus-encoded family B DNA polymerase
TranslationProkaryotic translation using viral mRNA and host ribosomes
Host rangeHalophilic archaeon Haloarcula hispanica of the phylum Euryarchaeota
Taxonomy1 genus and 1 species (Figure 3 Halspiviridae)
Halspiviridae virion
Figure 1 Halspiviridae. Transmission electron micrograph of His1 virions, negatively-stained with uranyl acetate. Image: Mike Dyall-Smith, from Wikipedia, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 
Halspiviridae genome
Figure 2 Halspiviridae. Genome organisation of a member of the family Halspiviridae. Boxes indicate open reading frames as annotated on GenBank accession AF191796.
Halspiviridae taxonomy
Figure 3 Halspiviridae. Relationships of the taxa connected to the family Halspiviridae.

Derivation of name

Halspiviridae; from halophilic and spindle-shaped.