Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Iraq Museum, museum of antiquities located in Baghdad, Iraq, featuring Iraqi art and artifacts dating from the Stone Age civilization of the Fertile Crescent to the Middle Ages. Following World War I, archaeologists from Europe and the United States began several excavations throughout Iraq. To

Calouste Gulbenkian: (later Iraq Petroleum Co.) and became the first to exploit Iraqi oil; his 5% share made him one of the world’s richest men. From 1948 he negotiated Saudi Arabian oil concessions to U.S. firms. He amassed an outstanding art collection of some 6,000 works, now in…

James Baker: …president Jimmy Carter) and the Iraq Study Group (with former U.S. congressman Lee Hamilton).

Iraq War, (2003–11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and

Iraq: Iraq from 1055 to 1534: , Persian) Iraq (ʿIrāq ʿAjamī) and was more or less identical with ancient Media or the Umayyad and Abbasid province of Jibāl. Together these regions became known as “the Two Iraqs,” in contradistinction to the previous usage of the term in reference to the towns of…

Iraq: Iraq from 1055 to 1534: The first, qualified as Arabian Iraq (ʿIrāq ʿArabī), denoted the area roughly corresponding to ancient Mesopotamia or the modern nation of Iraq and consisted of Upper Iraq or Al-Jazīrah and Lower Iraq or Al-Sawād (“The Black [Lands]”). The town of Tikrīt was traditionally considered to mark the border between…

Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Following World War I, Britain occupied Mesopotamia, “Land Between the Rivers,” and offered the crown for the new kingdom of Iraq to Fayṣal, son of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, ruler of the Hejaz. From perhaps as early as 1921, he used the flag of his father—horizontal stripes of black-white-green with a red

Iraq: History of Iraq: This discussion surveys the history of Iraq since the 7th century ce. For the earlier history, see Mesopotamia.

Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.

Iraqgate, media term for the scandal that emerged during the administration of U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in which it was alleged that U.S. agricultural loans made to Iraq during the Ronald Reagan administration were used to purchase weapons with the administration’s knowledge. However, no

Iran-Iraq War, (1980–88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. The incredibly deadly and destructive nature of the conflict left a long legacy, including the proliferation in the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran. The war placed tremendous

Iraqgate, media term for the scandal that emerged during the administration of U.S. President George H.W. Bush, in which it was alleged that U.S. agricultural loans made to Iraq during the Ronald Reagan administration were used to purchase weapons with the administration’s knowledge. However, no

ʿIrāqī was one of the most outstanding poets of 13th-century Persia. Very little is known about ʿIrāqī’s early life. There is evidence that he abandoned a teaching career to follow a group of wandering Sufis, or mystics, as far as India in search of higher mystical knowledge. After studying for 25

Iraq: Iraqi foreign policy, 1958–68: …because Qāsim recruited among the Iraqi Communist Party for support and because he moved far closer to the Soviet Union diplomatically, the United States grew to see in him a would-be communist. However, despite a growing dispute with the Western oil companies over their investments in Iraq (stemming from Qāsim’s…

Iraq: Economic development to 1980: …and a national company, the Iraqi Company for Oil Operations, was established to operate the fields. In 1973, when the Yom Kippur War broke out, Iraq nationalized American and Dutch companies, and in 1975 it nationalized the remaining foreign interests in the Basra Petroleum Company.

flag of Iraq: 22, 2008, the Iraqi Council of Representatives (parliament) voted to adopt a modified version of that flag: the three green stars were removed from the white stripe, and the width-to-length ratio was restored to what it had been for the 1991–2004 flag. It became official on Jan. 28.

Iraq War, (2003–11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and

flag of Iraq: On April 26, 2004, the Iraqi Governing Council announced a new national flag, its design consisting of four unequal horizontal stripes from top to bottom of white, blue, yellow, and blue and with a light blue crescent centred on the white stripe. The flag, almost universally rejected by Iraqis, was…

Persian Gulf War, (1990–91), international conflict that was triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait with the apparent aim of acquiring that nation’s large oil reserves, canceling a large debt Iraq owed

Ayad Allawi: …who was involved in the Iraqi National Accord, a party opposed to Saddam Hussein, and who later served as prime minister (2004–05) of the interim government in Iraq. He also was a vice president (2014–15; 2016–2018).

Iran-Iraq War, (1980–88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. The incredibly deadly and destructive nature of the conflict left a long legacy, including the proliferation in the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iran. The war placed tremendous

Ayad Allawi: …who was involved in the Iraqi National Accord, a party opposed to Saddam Hussein, and who later served as prime minister (2004–05) of the interim government in Iraq. He also was a vice president (2014–15; 2016–2018).

Tanzania: Ethnic groups: The Iraqw, the Mbugu, the Gorowa, and the Burungi have Cushitic origins. About 500 ce, iron-using Bantu agriculturalists arriving from the west and south started displacing or absorbing the San hunters and gatherers; at roughly the same time, Nilotic pastoralists entered the area from the southern…

Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), U.S.-U.K.-Netherlands satellite launched in 1983 that was the first space observatory to map the entire sky at infrared wavelengths. After a series of brief studies by infrared instruments carried on sounding rockets had detected about 4,000 celestial sources

Irazú Volcano, active volcano, in the Cordillera Central, east-central Costa Rica. Its name originates from the indigenous word for “thunder.” The highest mountain in the Cordillera Central, Irazú reaches an elevation of 11,260 feet (3,432 metres). It is a popular ascent for tourists, as its cone

Irazú Volcano: Irazú Volcano National Park is linked by paved road to Cartago. The volcano’s eruptions of 1963–65 produced ash that dammed a nearby small river, flooding the city of Cartago and causing serious damage to coffee crops. The ashfall created considerable inconvenience for residents of San…

institutional review board (IRB), in the United States, ethics committee that reviews proposed and ongoing research involving human subjects. The institutional review board (IRB) exists to protect the rights and safety of human subjects who participate in research studies. The need for an IRB

Danie Craven: …elevated to chairman of the International Rugby Football Board (IRB).

Irbid, town, northern Jordan. The town was built on successive Early Bronze Age settlements and was possibly the biblical Beth Arbel and the Arbila of the Decapolis, a Hellenistic league of the 1st century bce through the 2nd century ce. The population of Irbid swelled in the late 19th century, and

Erbil, city, capital of Erbil muḥāfaẓah (governorate), northern Iraq. The city is also the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq and is among the largest cities in that country. It is one of the most ancient cities in the world, dating back at least to 2300 bce. Erbil has long

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: The INF Treaty defined intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and ground-launched cruise missiles (GLCMs) as those having ranges of 1,000 to 5,500 km (620 to 3,400 miles) and shorter-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs) as those having ranges from 500 to 1,000 km.

instant messaging: …also saw the introduction of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) software for group conversations, and by the mid-1990s other IM software, such as ICQ (or “I Seek You”) for non-AOL Internet users, also became available.

International Rescue Committee (IRC), international humanitarian aid organization based in the United States and Europe. Organized in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein to assist German victims and enemies of Nazism, the IRC has since supported a wide variety of groups that are persecuted or

Pompidou Centre: …a film museum, and the Centre for Musical and Acoustical Research founded by French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez. The music centre comprises rehearsal rooms, studios, and a concert hall and presents concerts devoted primarily to modern music.

iceberg: Iceberg scour and sediment transport: The presence of ice-rafted debris (IRD) in seabed-sediment cores is an indicator that icebergs, sea ice, or both have occurred at that location during a known time interval. (The age of the deposit is indicated by the depth in the sediment at which the debris is found.) Noting…

Barthold Heinrich Brockes: …wrote nature poetry, such as Irdisches Vergnügen in Gott (1721–48; “Earthly Pleasure in God”), in which natural phenomena are described minutely and seen as aspects of God’s perfectly ordered universe. One of the first German poets to treat nature as a principal subject, he was the forerunner of the new…

James Iredell was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1790–99). At the age of 17 Iredell was appointed comptroller of the customhouse at Edenton, N.C., to which his father, formerly a Bristol merchant, had migrated. He studied law and became active in the American cause.

jacana: …African jacana (Actophilornis africanus); the Australian lotus bird (Irediparra gallinacea) of New Guinea and the eastern Australian coast; and the pheasant-tailed jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus), of India and the Philippines, a handsome black, yellow, and white bird that acquires long tail feathers in breeding season.

Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of

Ireland, island off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe that is the westernmost major island of the British Isles. It is divided politically into Ireland (which occupies the southern five-sixths of the island) and Northern Ireland (a constituent part of the United Kingdom). It is bounded on

The 18th-century Castletown House is Ireland’s most notable country house, not least because it reportedly influenced the design of the White House in Washington, D.C. It’s just one of these 12 examples of significant buildings that are worth a visit in Ireland. Earlier versions of the descriptions

Same-sex marriage has been legalized in jurisdictions around the world, but Ireland is the first country to put the matter to a popular vote. spotlight, same-sex marriage, ireland, referendum, gay

bells of Ireland, (Moluccella laevis), annual plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae), grown as a garden curiosity for its green floral spikes. Bells of Ireland is native to western Asia and is commonly used in the floral industry as a fresh or dried flower. Bells of Ireland grows well in cool

Church of Ireland, independent Anglican church within both Ireland and Northern Ireland. It traces its episcopal succession from the pre-Reformation church in Ireland. Christianity was probably known in Ireland before the missionary activities of Patrick, the patron saint of the country, in the

Adrian IV: …Canterbury, and granted him the Donation of Ireland (known as the bull Laudabiliter), which supposedly gave Ireland to Henry II of England. Attacked for false representation, the bull was subsequently refuted. (Even if Laudabiliter is authentic, which is doubtful, it does not grant hereditary possession of Ireland to the English…

A number of official and unofficial flags over the centuries have been flown in Ireland. One of the earliest, in use in the late 15th century, was blue with a gold harp; today it is the presidential standard of Ireland. In the 17th century the Cross of St. Patrick—later incorporated into the

Ireland: History: Ireland, lying to the west of Britain, has always been to some extent cut off by it from direct contact with other European countries, especially those from Sweden to the Rhine River. Readier access has been through France, Spain, and Portugal and even

John Ireland was the first archbishop of St. Paul; head of the liberal Roman Catholic clergy who promoted the integration of predominantly immigrant parishes into the life of the U.S. church (and society as a whole)—in opposition to the separatist tendency of many ethnic groups to preserve their

55 Days at Peking: Cast: Assorted References

John Ireland was an English composer known for his songs and his programmatic orchestral works. Ireland studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where he later taught composition. He was much drawn to the mysticism and fantasy in the writings of Arthur Machen; some of his compositions, such

John Ireland was a Scottish writer, theologian, and diplomatist, whose treatise The Meroure of Wyssdome is the earliest extant example of original Scots prose. Ireland left the University of St. Andrews without taking a degree and attended the University of Paris (licentiate, 1460). He lived in

John Ireland was an English composer known for his songs and his programmatic orchestral works. Ireland studied at the Royal College of Music in London, where he later taught composition. He was much drawn to the mysticism and fantasy in the writings of Arthur Machen; some of his compositions, such

Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, lying in the northeastern quadrant of the island of Ireland, on the western continental periphery often characterized as Atlantic Europe. Northern Ireland is sometimes referred to as Ulster, although it includes only six of the nine counties which made

Ireland, country of western Europe occupying five-sixths of the westernmost major island of the British Isles. The magnificent scenery of Ireland’s Atlantic coastline faces a 2,000-mile- (3,200-km-) wide expanse of ocean, and its geographic isolation has helped it to develop a rich heritage of

shorthand: Machine shorthand: …Stenotype machine was invented by Ward Stone Ireland, an American stenographer and court reporter. At present, the Stenograph and Stenotype machines are used in offices to some extent, but they are principally employed for conference and court reporting. Both machines have keyboards of 22 keys. Because the operator uses all…

William-Henry Ireland was an English forger of Shakespearean works. Ireland was the son of Samuel Ireland, a respected engraver in London. The young Ireland attended schools in Kensington, Ealing, Soho, and France. As a teenager, he took up his father’s passion for William Shakespeare and

fairy bluebird, (genus Irena), two species of birds in the family Irenidae (order Passeriformes), both of striking blue coloration and both confined to semi-deciduous forests in Asia. The blue-backed, or Asian, fairy bluebird (Irena puella) lives in the wetter parts of India, the Himalayas,

fairy bluebird: The Philippine fairy bluebird (I. cyanogaster) is found on Luzon, Polillo, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao, Dinagat, and Basilan. The two species are notable for the very long upper and lower tail coverts that almost conceal the tail. Males are brilliant blue and black; females are a duller…

fairy bluebird: The blue-backed, or Asian, fairy bluebird (Irena puella) lives in the wetter parts of India, the Himalayas, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. The Philippine fairy bluebird (I. cyanogaster) is found on Luzon, Polillo, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao, Dinagat, and Basilan. The two species are notable for the…

St. Irenaeus ; Western feast day June 28; Eastern feast day August 23) was the bishop of Lugdunum (Lyon), an Apologist, a doctor of the church, and a leading Christian theologian of the 2nd century. His work Adversus haereses (Against Heresies), written about 180, was a refutation of gnosticism. In

Samuel Johnson: The theatre: Early in 1749 Johnson’s play Irene was at last performed. Thanks to Garrick’s production, which included expensive costumes, an excellent cast (including Garrick himself), and highly popular afterpieces for the last three performances, the tragedy ran a respectable nine nights. The audience objected to seeing the apostate Greek Christian Irene…

Netherlands: The late 20th century: The unsanctioned marriage of Princess Irene to a Spanish Carlist prince had already come as a shock even to Roman Catholics, but it was less difficult politically because she lost her right of succession. Juliana’s husband and consort, Prince Bernhard, was involved in a bribery scandal and withdrew from public…

Voltaire: Achievements at Ferney of Voltaire: …to direct the rehearsals of Irène, he made his triumphal return to the city he had not seen for 28 years on February 10. More than 300 persons called on him the day after his arrival. On March 30 he went to the Académie amid acclamations, and, when Irène was…

Irene was a Byzantine ruler and saint of the Greek Orthodox Church who was instrumental in restoring the use of icons in the Eastern Roman Empire. The wife of the Byzantine emperor Leo IV, Irene became, on her husband’s death in September 780, guardian of their 10-year-old son, Constantine VI, and

Colleen Moore: …showcased in such films as Irene (1926) and Orchids and Ermine (1927). Her 100 film credits also included several talkies, notably with Spencer Tracy in The Power and the Glory (1933). Under the tutelage of her second and third husbands, both of whom were stockbrokers, she became rich from investments.…

Irene Ducas was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus, known from the description of her in the Alexiad of their daughter, Anna Comnena. When Alexius became emperor in April 1081 he reportedly planned to repudiate Irene and wed Mary, who had been married to the former emperors

Hurricane Irene, tropical cyclone that brought significant wind damage to several islands in The Bahamas and torrential rains to Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and several eastern U.S. states in late August 2011. Flash flooding generated by the storm’s relentless rainfall killed more than 50 people and

Irenidae, songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of the leafbirds, ioras, and fairy bluebirds, about 14 species of small brightly coloured birds of the forests and farms of southeastern Asia. Members range in size from 13 to 25 cm (5 to 10 inches) long. They appear to be closely related

Stara Zagora, town, central Bulgaria. It lies in the southern foothills of the Sredna Mountains and on the fringe of the fertile Stara Zagora plain. The town has varied industries producing cotton, textiles, chemicals, fertilizers, agricultural implements, machine tools, and cigarettes as well as

Amaranthaceae: Major genera and species: the genera Alternanthera and Iresine each have several species that are cultivated as bedding plants for their attractive and colourful leaves.

Henry Ireton was an English soldier and statesman, a leader of the Parliamentary cause during the Civil Wars between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Ireton joined the Parliamentary army. In November 1642 he commanded a cavalry force in the indecisive Battle of

Canadian Football League: …Football Union (WIFU) and the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Though the IRFU still referred to their sport as rugby football, the member clubs played a gridiron style of football. The WIFU and IRFU became, respectively, the Western and Eastern conferences of the new league, which changed its name to…

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces, independent of Iran’s regular army and accountable only to the Office of the Supreme Leader. It was established by Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran’s first leader (1979–89), and strengthened under the presidency

Irgun Zvai Leumi, Jewish right-wing underground movement in Palestine, founded in 1931. At first supported by many nonsocialist Zionist parties, in opposition to the Haganah, it became in 1936 an instrument of the Revisionist Party, an extreme nationalist group that had seceded from the World

Panama: Resources and power: …long distributed by the state-run Institute of Hydraulic Resources and Electrification before it was privatized in 1998. Much of Panama’s electricity is generated by hydroelectric dams. The first plants were opened in 1975 at La Yeguada in Veraguas province and in 1976 on the Chepo River; the largest, at La…

Iksan, city, North Jeolla do (province), western South Korea. Located about 15 miles (25 km) east of the port city of Gunsan, it lies in the northern part of the Honam Plain, the largest granary of South Korea. Iksan city was formed in 1995 through the merger of the city of Iri with Iksan county.

Italy: Economic policy: …Mobiliare Italiano; IMI) and the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale; IRI), were set up to bail out failing firms and to provide capital for new industrial investment; they also provided trained managers and effective financial supervision. Italy thus acquired a huge, state-led industrial sector, which was…

HAARP: The main instrument is the Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI), an array of 180 radio antennas spread over an area of 0.13 square kilometer (33 acres).

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when the former, larger Papua province was divided. The present-day province occupies northeastern Indonesian New Guinea and smaller islands to the

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when the former, larger Papua province was divided. The present-day province occupies northeastern Indonesian New Guinea and smaller islands to the

Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia on the western half of the island of New Guinea. It is one of four provinces established in 2022 when the former, larger Papua province was divided. The present-day province occupies northeastern Indonesian New Guinea and smaller islands to the

West Papua, propinsi (or provinsi; province) of Indonesia, including the Bomberai and Doberai (Vogelkop) peninsulas on the western end of the island of New Guinea and, to the west, the Raja Ampat Islands—most notably Salawati, Waigeo, Batanta, and Misool. The province is bounded to the north by the

Félix María Samaniego: …former friend and fellow fabulist Tomás de Iriarte, and, because of an anonymous attack on Iriarte that contained criticisms of the church, Samaniego was imprisoned in a monastery in 1793.

palm: Ecology: …several species (Sabal palmetto and Iriartea deltoidea). Studies of pollination are difficult because of the large number of insects that are associated in some way with most palms. Few modern studies have been done, but obvious adaptations for insect pollination can be found in many palms. Bats have been found…

Iridaceae, the iris family of flowering plants (order Asparagales), comprising 66 genera and around 2,200 species. The family is nearly worldwide in distribution, but it is most abundant and diversified in Africa. Most species are native to temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions. A few

Albrecht von Gräfe: He introduced (1857) iridectomy (surgical removal of part of the iris) for the alleviation of glaucoma, a disease resulting in opacity of the lens. He showed (1860) that blindness and visual defects connected with cerebral disorders are often traceable to optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve.…

iridescence, interference of light either at the surface or in the interior of a material that produces a series of colours as the angle of incidence changes. Best known are the colours seen in precious opal resulting from the interference of light by submicroscopic layers of nearly spherical

coloration: Interference: …ultrathinly layered films, giving striking iridescence, even in diffuse light, as a result of the asynchrony between the wavelengths of visible light that enter and those that return.

Zygmunt Krasiński: In his second important play, Irydion (1836; Eng. trans. Irydion)—the story of a Greek named Irydion who seeks vengeance on imperial Rome—Krasiński denies the validity of hatred as a source of righteous action.

iridium (Ir), chemical element, one of the platinum metals of Groups 8–10 (VIIIb), Periods 5 and 6, of the periodic table. It is very dense and rare and is used in platinum alloys. A precious, silver-white metal, iridium is hard and brittle, but it becomes ductile and can be worked at a white heat,

space debris: …on February 10, 2009, when Iridium 33, a communications satellite owned by the American company Motorola, collided with Cosmos 2251, an inactive Russian military communications satellite, about 760 km (470 miles) above northern Siberia, shattering both satellites.

mobile telephone: Satellite-based telephone communication: …for commercial service was the Iridium system, designed by Motorola, Inc., and owned by Iridium LLC, a consortium made up of corporations and governments from around the world. The Iridium concept employed a constellation of 66 satellites orbiting in six planes around Earth. They were launched from May 1997 to…

blue-ringed octopus: Description and distribution: …the skin are structures called iridophores, which strongly reflect blue-green light and hence are responsible for Hapalochlaena species’ bright iridescent blue rings or stripes. These nonpigmented structures, which consist mainly of stacked thin platelets, lie atop the chromatophores, heightening the rings’ or stripes’ contrast with the chromatophores’ dark brown background.…

blue-ringed octopus: Description and distribution: …the skin are structures called iridophores, which strongly reflect blue-green light and hence are responsible for Hapalochlaena species’ bright iridescent blue rings or stripes. These nonpigmented structures, which consist mainly of stacked thin platelets, lie atop the chromatophores, heightening the rings’ or stripes’ contrast with the chromatophores’ dark brown background.…

iridosmine, mineral consisting of an alloy of iridium and a smaller proportion of osmium. It occurs in gold-bearing conglomerates, as at the Witwatersrand in South Africa, and in gold sands, as in California and Oregon, U.S. Because of their hardness and resistance to corrosion, both natural and

iridovirus, any virus belonging to the family Iridoviridae. Iridoviruses possess large enveloped or nonenveloped virions (virus particles) that measure 120–350 nm (1 nm = 10−9 metre) in diameter. The capsid (the protein shell surrounding the viral nucleic acids) is icosahedral and contains linear

iridovirus, any virus belonging to the family Iridoviridae. Iridoviruses possess large enveloped or nonenveloped virions (virus particles) that measure 120–350 nm (1 nm = 10−9 metre) in diameter. The capsid (the protein shell surrounding the viral nucleic acids) is icosahedral and contains linear

iridovirus: …included in this family are Iridovirus, Chloriridovirus, Lymphocystivirus, Ranavirus, and Megalocytivirus. Type species of the family include invertebrate iridescent virus 6 (Iridovirus), which infects insects; lymphocystis disease virus 1 (Lymphocystivirus