Family: Ahpuchviridae (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: October 2023

Summary

The family Ahpuchviridae includes dsDNA viruses that infect anaerobic methanotrophic ANME-1 archaea (Table 1 Ahpuchviridae). The family Ahpuchviridae was established in 2023 (Master Species List #38).

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

Characteristic	Description
Example	Methanophagales virus PBV299 (OP413838), species Kisinvirus pescaderoense, genus Kisinvirus
Virion	Only known from metagenomic studies
Genome	Linear, dsDNA genome of 71 kbp (Figure 1 Ahpuchviridae)
Host range	Anaerobic methanotrophic ANME-1 archaea
Taxonomy	Realm Duplodnaviria, kingdom Heunggongvirae, phylum Uroviricota, class Caudoviricetes, order Nakonvirales: 1 genus and 1 species (Figure 2 Ahpuchviridae)

Figure 1 Ahpuchviridae. Genome organisation of Methanophagales virus PBV299, a member of the family Ahpuchviridae. Boxes indicate open reading frames as annotated on GenBank accession OP413838.

Figure 2 Ahpuchviridae. Relationships of the taxa connected to the family Ahpuchviridae.

Derivation of names

Ahpuchviridae: after Ah Puch, the god of death in the Mayan mythology

Kisinvirus: after Kisin, another Mayan god of death