Their tails are composed of a collared neck (similar in structure to that of a T4 phage), “a sheath surrounding a tail tube or core, a thin base plate, and an adsorption structure” Notably, a series of unique protrusions can be found stemming from the base plate of these organisms.

[2] 3 to 4 thick, rounded prongs (located at the bottom of the base plate) and an equal number of thinner, star-like protrusions (attached to the sides of the baseplate via a stalk) have been observed in members of the genus.

While “the gene order is strongly conserved in all seven phages…various functional regions are randomly distributed throughout the genome…”.

[2] Functional clustering, as observed in other genera of phages, is uniquely absent from Kuttervirus, and proves to be a defining quality of the genus.

Due to the diversity in tail-spike filaments, researchers have suggested that these phages may be capable of infecting a wider range of hosts.