Nodaviridae is a family of RNA viruses.

The virus is not enveloped and has an isocahedral capsid (triangulation number = 3) ranging from 29 to 35 nm in diameter. The capsid is constructed of 32 capsomers.

The genome is linear, positive sense, bipartite (composed of two segments - RNA1 and RNA2) single stranded RNA consisting of 4500 nucleotides with a 5’ terminal methylated cap and a non-polyadenylated 3’ terminal.

RNA1, which is ~3.1 kilobases in length, translates encodes a protein that has multiple functional domains: a mitochondrial targeting domain, a transmembrane domain, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain, a self-interaction domain and an RNA capping domain. In addition, RNA1 encodes a subgenomic RNA3 that translates protein B2, an RNA silencing inhibitor.

RNA2 encodes protein α, a viral capsid protein precursor, which is auto-cleaved into two mature proteins, a 38 kDa β protein and a 5 kDa γ protein, at a conserved Asn/Ala site during virus assembly.

The members of the alphanodoviridae were originally isolated from insects while those of the betanodoviridae were isolated from fish. A small number of nodoviruses seem to lie outside either of these clades.