It includes one species: Bartonegtaviriform andersoni (BaGTA), which is a gene transfer agent, found within bacteria of the genus Bartonella.

[1] The family name, Bartogtaviriformidae, is a portmanteau of Barto, from "host" Bartonella, gta from gene transfer agent and viriformidae, the fact that it is a viriform.

Phylogenetic analyses identified BaGTA as a key innovation associated with the adaptive radiation that characterizes these zoonotic bacterial pathogens.

Maintenance of BaGTA is likely driven by selection to increase the likelihood of genetic exchange and facilitates adaptation to host-specific defense systems during infection.

An adjacent region of high coverage is thought to be due to local DNA replication.