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This article reports the changes to virus taxonomy approved and ratified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) in October 2018. Of note, the ICTV has approved, by an absolute majority, the creation of additional taxonomical ranks above those recognized previously. A total of 15 ranks (realm, subrealm, kingdom, subkingdom, phylum, subphylum, class, subclass, order, suborder, family, subfamily, genus, subgenus, and species) are now available to encompass the entire spectrum of virus diversity. Classification at ranks above genus is not obligatory but can be used by the authors of new taxonomic proposals when scientific justification is provided.

Original publication

DOI

10.1007/s00705-018-04136-2

Type

Journal article

Journal

Archives of virology

Publication Date

03/2019

Volume

164

Pages

943 - 946

Addresses

Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.