Embecovirus is a subgenus of coronaviruses in the genus Betacoronavirus.

[1] The viruses in this subgenus, unlike other coronaviruses, have a hemagglutinin esterase (HE) gene.

[5] Unlike other coronaviruses, viruses in this subgenus also have an additional shorter spike-like structural protein called hemagglutinin esterase (HE).

[2][6] Genetic recombination can occur when two or more viral genomes are present in the same host cell.

[7] Contributing to this diversity are several recombination events that had taken place in the past between closely related Beta-CoVs of the subgenus Embecovirus.