Distinguishing features

Members of this genus infect Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. The type species is Bacillus virus B4. Terminal repeats have been reported for some bequatrovirus genomes. The unique sequence of the genome of the exemplar isolate, of the type species is 163 kbp, with 277 gene coding sequences. No encoded tRNAs have been reported.

Virion

See discussion under family description.

Genome organisation and replication

See discussion under family description.

Biology 

Members of the genus infect Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis. 

Derivation of names

Bequatrovirus: derived from the name of the exemplar isolate, Bacillus phage B4, of the type species (phonetic B [Be] followed by quatro, derived from Italian for four, quattro).

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.