Book: Pyrstoviridae
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, updated December 2024
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 caudatum, genus Hatrivirus |
| Virion | Icosahedral capsid and long contractile tail (siphovirus morphology) |
| Genome | Linear, dsDNA genome of 42 kbp, circularly permuted (Figure 1 Pyrstoviridae) |
| Host range | hyperhalophilic archaea of Haloarcula sp. |
| Taxonomy | Realm Duplodnaviria, kingdom Heunggongvirae, phylum Uroviricota, class Caudoviricetes, order Kirjokansivirales: 1 genus and 1 species (Figure 2 Pyrstoviridae) |
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| 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. |
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| Figure 2 Pyrstoviridae. Relationships of the taxa connected to the family Pyrstoviridae. |
Derivation of name
Pyrstoviridae: From the Finnish word pyrstö, meaning fish tail.