Animal viruses are divided into a number of families whose names typically end in which suffix?

• A. -aceae
• B. -virus
• C. -viridae
• D. -mycetes

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that virus family names follow a specific nomenclature convention established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).
2. Recall that bacterial family names typically end with the suffix '-aceae', and fungal class names often end with '-mycetes', which helps differentiate these groups from viruses.
3. Recognize that virus genus names usually end with '-virus', but the question asks specifically about virus family names, which have a different suffix.
4. Identify that the correct suffix for virus family names is '-viridae', which is a standard suffix used to classify virus families.
5. Conclude that among the given options, '-viridae' is the suffix that virus families typically end with, distinguishing them from other biological classifications.