Etymology of Taxon Names

The information below provides a list containing descriptions of the origins of ICTV taxon names starting at the rank of realm and going down to the rank of family. This information is derived from the proposals that were submitted when each taxon was created. Links to these proposals, links to ICTV report chapters, and links to publications (through PMIDs) are provided when available.

We thank Stuart Siddell for compiling this list of name origins. Etymological information for taxa below the rank of family, can be found in the relevant ICTV Online (10th) Report chapters. If you have any comments or corrections, please contact us by sending an email to info@ictv.global.

Please select the virus realm containing your Realm of interest:

Realm
Enter all or part of a taxon name (family rank or higher)

Realm: Duplodnaviria

Taxon: Kruegerviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.019B.Kruegerviridae_1nf_1ng_1mg_4ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Albert Paul Krueger, an American microbiologist; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Kunpengviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.005A.Bathyarchaeia_4newfam.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Kunpeng, a mythical creature in Chinese mythology known for its transformative abilities; the suffix ‑viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Lindbergviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.020B.Lindbergviridae_1nf_3ng_7mg_21ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Alf Erik Anton Lindberg, a Swedish physician scientist; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Ludisviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.001B.Alisviridae_Ludisviridae_Nixviridae_3nf_7ng_24ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Latin ludis, meaning sport, referring to the vibrant sports scene in Buffalo, NY. ; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Lutetiaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2023.002A.Caudoviricetes_5nf_v2.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Lutetia, an historical name for the French city of Paris; the suffix ‑viridae for family taxa. Connection unclear

Taxon: Madisaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.001A.R.Archaeal_Caudoviricetes.zip ICTV Report: Madisaviridae Reference:

from Margherita di Savoia in Italy, where Haloarcula hispanica tailed virus 1, a member of the family, was first isolated; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Madridviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2023.046B.Madridviridae_nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Spanish city of Madrid, where Streptococcus phage Cp1 and Streptococcus phage Cp7, members of the family, were first isolated; the suffix ‑viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Mazoviaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.033B.Mazoviaviridae_1nf_1ng_1ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Mazovia, a historic region of Poland; the suffix -viridae for family taxa; connection obscure

Taxon: Mesyanzhinovviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.051B.R.Mesyanzhinovviridae.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour the Russian scientist Vadim V. Mesyanzhinov, for his research on the mechanisms of protein folding and assembly, and structural genomics; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Mktvariviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.024B.Mktvariviridae_1nf_1msf_10ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Georgian მტკვარი, Mt’k’vari, for the river flowing through Tbilisi from which phage phiEco32 was isolated; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Molycolviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.029B.R.Flavophages_9_families.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the names of two species in the genus Mollyvirus: Mollyvirus Molly and Mollyvirus Colly; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Naomviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.056B.R.Naomiviridae.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the biblical character Naomi and Hebrew naomi, meaning “good” to represent the good that bacteriophage can do; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Nixviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.001B.Alisviridae_Ludisviridae_Nixviridae_3nf_7ng_24ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Latin nix, meaning snow, referring to the abundance of snow during the winter months in Buffalo, NY. ; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Orlajensenviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.060B.R.Orlajensenviridae.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour the Danish chemist and dairy bacteriologist Sigurd Orla-Jensen who was largely responsible for the isolation and taxonomy of the bacteria in the genus Microbacterium; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Pachyviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.029B.R.Flavophages_9_families.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Ancient Greek παχύς (pakhús), meaning "thick" and referring to the morphology of members of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Peduoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.063B.R.Peduoviridae.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Escherichia phage P2 (phonetically "Pe" and "duo" representing "2"), a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Pervagoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.029B.R.Flavophages_9_families.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Latin pervagus, meaning "widely roaming", referring to members of the species Callevirus phi38una in the genus Callevirus, which are found in various ocean regions; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Pootjesviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2022.065B.Pootjesviridae_nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour of American microbiologist Christine Pootjes, one of the first scientist to study Agrobacterium phages; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Pungoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2022.004A.Caudoviricetes_3nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Latin pungo, meaning "prick" or "puncture", referring to the ability of the viruses in the family to lyse the Methanoculleus host; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Rountreeviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2020.140B.R.Rountreeviridae.zip - 2021.001B.R.abolish_Caudovirales.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Phyllis Margaret  Rountree, an Australian bacteriologist and expert on Staphylococcus; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Saffermanviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2023.057B.Saffermanviridae_nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Robert S. Safferman, an American microbiologist who together with Mary-Ellen Morris first isolated and characterized Leptolyngbya phage LPP-1, a member of the family; the suffix ‑viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Salasmaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2020.143B.R.Salasmaviridae.zip - 2021.001B.R.abolish_Caudovirales.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Margarita Salas Falgueras, a Spanish scientist, medical researcher, and author in the fields of biochemistry and molecular genetics; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Saparoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.001A.R.Archaeal_Caudoviricetes.zip ICTV Report: Saparoviridae Reference:

from the Finnish saparo, meaning "pig tail", referring to the virion morphology of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Sarkviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.031B.Sarkviridae_1nf_1msf_2mg.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Sark, one of the Channel Islands, continuing the theme used to name Guernseyvirinae and Jerseyvirus ; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Schitoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2020.146B.R.Schitoviridae.zip - 2021.001B.R.abolish_Caudovirales.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour the Italian microbiologist Gian Carlo Schito, who isolated Escherichia phage N4; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Speroviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2022.004A.Caudoviricetes_3nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Latin spero, meaning "hope", green (the colour of hope) referring to the green F420 autofluorescence of methanogenic archaea that host Methanobacterium virus C158, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Stackebrandtviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.034B.Stackebrandtviridae_1nf_2nsf_8mg_8ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Erko Stackebrandt, a German microbiologist; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Stanwilliamsviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2022.085B.Stanwilliamsviridae_nf_2nsf_4ng_6nsp.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour the British microbiologist Stanley Thomas Williams, a pioneer in the development of techniques for scanning electron microscopy of microbes; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Suolaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.001A.R.Archaeal_Caudoviricetes.zip ICTV Report: Suolaviridae Reference:

from the Finnish suola meaning "salt", referring to the haloarchaeal host of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Toyamaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2023.069B.Toyamaviridae_nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Japanese city of Toyoma,  the location of one of the research institutes where members of the family were discovered; the suffix ‑viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Trautnerviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.030B.Trautnerviridae_1nf_1nsf_3ng_6ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Thomas A Trautner, a German molecular biologist, who studied SPP1 for several decades; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Umezonoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2023.072B.Umezonoviridae_nf.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Japanese area of Umezono,  the location of one of the research institutes where members of the family were discovered; the suffix ‑viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Vandenendeviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2024.037B.Vandenendeviridae_1nf_2msf_8ng_1mg_11ns.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Marinus van den Ende, a South African medical scientist and virologist; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Verdandiviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2022.002A.Verdandiviridae_nf_Atrospovirales_no.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Verdandi, one of the three Norns, the most powerful beings in Norse mythology that govern the lives of gods and mortals; the suffix -viridae for family taxa; connection unclear

Taxon: Vertoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.001A.R.Archaeal_Caudoviricetes.zip ICTV Report: Vertoviridae Reference:

from the Latin verto, meaning "invert", referring to the invertible tail fiber locus characterized in genomes of viruses of this family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Vilmaviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.089B.R.Vilmaviridae.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the designations V (phoneticlaly "Vi"),  L and M, referring to the clusters on the Actinobacteriophage Database that include viruses of the family and addition of the vowel a; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Winoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.029B.R.Flavophages_9_families.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Winogradskyella, the genus of the host to Winogradshyella phage Peternella, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Zierdtviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2021.094B.R.Zierdtviridae.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour the American microbiologist Charles Henry Zierdt, who isolated and studied some of the first Corynebacterium (Propionibacterium) acnes phages; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Zobellviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2020.187B.R.Zobellviridae.zip - 2021.001B.R.abolish_Caudovirales.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour the American microbiologist Claude Ephraim Zobell, the first person to isolate marine phage, and a pioneer of marine microbiology; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Realm: Monodnaviria

Taxon: Monodnaviria Rank: realm Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Greek μόνος (mónos), meaning "single", and DNA fror deoxyribonucleic acid, referring to the  single-stranded DNA genome of viruses in the realm; the suffix -viria for realm taxa

Taxon: Loebvirae Rank: kingdom Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Timothy Loeb, who described “phage f1” in 1960; the suffix -virae for kingdom taxa

Taxon: Hofneiviricota Rank: phylum Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Peter H. Hofschneider, who described “phage M13” in 1963; the suffix -viricota for phylum taxa

Taxon: Faserviricetes Rank: class Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the German Faser, meaning "fiber", a reference to the family name Inoviridae, which is derived from the Ancient Greek  ἰνός (inos), meaning "a fiber", referring to the virion morphology of viruses in the class; the suffix -viricetes for class taxa

Taxon: Tubulavirales Rank: order Proposal: 2019.061B.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from tubular, referring to the virion morphology of some viruses in this taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Inoviridae Rank: family Proposal: Ratification_1978.pdf ICTV Report: Inoviridae Reference: PMID: 6130119

from the Ancient Greek ἰνός (inos), meaning a "fiber", referring to the virion morhology of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Paulinoviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2020.114B.R.Paulinoviridae.zip ICTV Report: Paulinoviridae Reference:

from the Latin paulus, meaning “small”, referring to the shorter genomes and fewer encoded proteins in members of the family compared to viruses of other families such as Inoviridae within the order Tubulavirales; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Plectroviridae Rank: family Proposal: 2019.061B.zip ICTV Report: Plectroviridae Reference:

from the Latin plectrum, meaning "small stick", referring to the virion morphology of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Sangervirae Rank: kingdom Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

to honour Frederick Sanger, who used “phage phiX174” to deduce the first-ever DNA genome sequence; the suffix -virae for kingdom taxa

Taxon: Phixviricota Rank: phylum Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from Escherichia phage phiX174, a member of the taxon that has been central to the history of virology and molecular biology; the suffix -viricota for phylum taxa

Taxon: Malgrandaviricetes Rank: class Proposal: 2019.005G.zip ICTV Report: Reference:

from the Esperanto malgranda, meaning "micro" or "small", referring to the small size of the genome of viruses in the class; the suffix -viricetes for class taxa