Distinguishing features

Members of this genus infect Bacillus subtilis. The type species is Bacillus virus SPO1. The non-redundant portion of the genome of the exemplar isolate, Bacillus phage SPO1, is 133 kbp, with 204 gene coding sequences as well as 5 encoded tRNAs.

Virion

See discussion under family description.

Genome organisation and replication 

See discussion under family description.

Biology 

Members of the genus infect Bacillus subtilis.

Derivation of names

Okubovirus: named in honour of Shunzo Okubo (1930–1978), former Professor of Genetics at Osaka University who isolated phage SPO1 in 1964 and carried out the original studies on the exemplar isolate of the genus.

Species demarcation criteria

Members of the same species are more than 95% identical in genome nucleotide sequence, including the terminal repeat region. Phages with genomes that differ by more than 5% are assigned to different species.

Member species

Virus names, the choice of exemplar isolates, and virus abbreviations, are not official ICTV designations.