Family: Kolmioviridae

Genus: Dagazvirus

Distinguishing features

Rhinotermitid virus 1 (RTV1; previously referred to as tHDV) is the only classified dagazvirus. Dagazviruses infect rhinotermitid insects (Chang et al., 2019).

Virion

Virions are unknown.

Nucleic acid

Dagazviruses have non-segmented, covalently closed, circular negative-sense RNA (cccRNA) genomes of about 1.6 kb with 56.7% GC content (Chang et al., 2019).

Proteins

Dagazviruses are predicted to express one delta antigen (Dag)-like protein of 184 amino-acid residues (Chang et al., 2019).

Biology

RTV1 was discovered in termites (rhinotermitid Schedorhinotermes intermedius (Brauer, 1866)) sampled in China. Replication-competent dagazvirus isolates have not yet been obtained, and hence dagazvirus biology remains to be elucidated.

Species demarcation criteria

The genus currently only includes a single species.