Abstract: In 2021, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratified the proposal to adopt the binomial nomenclature of virus species that follows the method of Linnaeus. Due to the fact that the past naming of the species in the order Lefavirales was not based on the binomial nomenclature, the ICTV Research Group on Baculoviridae and Nudiviridae revised the species names of the viruses in this order in 2023. Here we introduced the revision principles of naming the baculovirus species: the new name of a virus species composes of two words, the first one is the name of the genus to which the species belongs, the second one is a contraction of the first 2―4 letters of the host’s genus name followed by the epithet of the host species in the genitive form, while the names of viruses and virus isolates remain the previous form before this revision. We further explained the importance of understanding and distinguishing the virus and the virus species for correctly spelling the virus names. The naming method for baculovirus species is also applicable to the members of Nudiviridae. This article is helpful for the Chinese readers to correctly understand and use the names and spelling rules of these virus species when reading literature, writing papers, and submitting nomination documents of new viruses to ICTV.

Key words: Baculoviridae, Nudiviridae, virus species name, virus name, binomial species naming method