title: ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Ascoviridae.
abstract: The family Ascoviridae includes viruses with circular dsDNA genomes of 100-200 kbp characterized by oblong enveloped virions of 200-400 nm in length. Ascoviruses mainly infect lepidopteran larvae and are mechanically transmitted by parasitoid wasps in which they may also replicate. Most known members belong to the genus Ascovirus, except one virus, that of the genus Toursvirus, which replicates in both its lepidopteran and parasitoid vector hosts. Ascoviruses cause high mortality among economically important insect pests, thereby controlling insect populations. This is a summary of the current International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the taxonomy of the Ascoviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/ascoviridae.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Sassan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asgari
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, California Baptist University, 8432 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA 92504, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Bideshi
authors.affiliation: UMR INRA-CNRS 7247, PRC, Centre INRA de Nouzilly, 37380 Nouzilly, France.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bigot
authors.affiliation: Interdepartmental Graduate Programs in Microbiology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.|Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Federici
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Miami University, 32 Pearson Hall, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao-Wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.lastname: Ictv Report Consortium
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029223:Ascoviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007313:Insecta / Q000821:virology; D007814:Larva / Q000821:virology