The hyperparasite of the rickettsiales-like prokaryote, Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis has morphological characteristics of a Siphoviridae (Caudovirales)

• First approach to the identity of the bacteriophage of Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis.
• First detection of hyperparasitism in red abalone and yellow abalone from Baja California, Mexico.
• First evidence of the lytic cycle of this bacteriophage.

Transmission electron microscopy analysis (TEM) of the rickettsiales-like prokaryote, Candidatus Xenohaliotis californiensis (CXc), pathogen of Haliotis spp. from the West Coast of North America, were found to be infected by a bacteriophage hyperparasite previously described in red abalone from California. The hyperparasite has an icosahedrical-like capsid with a narrow long flexible tail, this morphological characteristic tentatively place this virus in the Family Siphoviridae from the order Caudovirales. TEM images also showed the bacteriophage in different stages of assembly in the cytoplasm of CXc, demonstrating its lytic cycle.

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