- Volume 64, Issue Pt_10, 2014

The Judicial Commission affirms that, according to information presented to it, the combination Enterobacter agglomerans is to be cited as Enterobacter agglomerans (Beijerinck 1888) Ewing and Fife 1972 and the combination Pantoea agglomerans is to be cited as Pantoea agglomerans (Beijerinck 1888) Gavini et al. 1989.

The Judicial Commission affirms that, according to information presented to it, the type strain of Leptospira interrogans (Stimson 1907) Wenyon 1926 designated on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names (ATCC 23581) has been shown not to represent an authentic culture of strain RGA (a member of the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae) and ATCC 43642, derived from an authentic strain of strain RGA, a member of the serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, is designated the type strain of Leptospira interrogans (Stimson 1907) Wenyon 1926.

The Judicial Commission affirms that the request that the current use of the genus name Mycoplasma be maintained and Mycoplasma coccoides be considered a legitimate name is denied.

The Judicial Commission affirms that, according to information presented to it, the designated type strain of Pseudomonas halophila Fendrich 1989 is DSM 3051 (replacing DSM 3050) and the designated type strain of Halovibrio variabilis Fendrich 1989 is DSM 3050 (replacing DSM 3051). A new name, Halomonas utahensis (Fendrich 1989) Sorokin and Tindall 2006 nom. nov., is created for the species represented by DSM 3051 when treated as a member of the genus Halomonas , because the combination Halomonas halophila (Quesada et al. 1984) Dobson and Franzmann 1996 has priority based on the fact that the epithet halophila in the combination Halomonas halophila (Quesada et al. 1984) Dobson and Franzmann 1996 (basoynm Deleya halophila Quesada et al. 1984) has priority over the epithet halophila should the taxon Pseudomonas halophila Fendrich 1989 be treated as a member of the genus Halomonas . The combination Halomonas variabilis (Fendrich 1989) Dobson and Franzmann 1996 is rejected. The combination Halovibrio denitrificans Sorokin et al. 2006 is validly published with an emendation of the description of the genus Halovibrio Fendrich 1989 emend. Sorokin et al. 2006.

The Judicial Commission affirms that, according to the Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (including changes made to the wording), the combination Agrobacterium radiobacter (Beijerinck and van Delden 1902) Conn 1942 has priority over the combination Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith and Townsend 1907) Conn 1942 when the two are treated as members of the same species based on the principle of priority as applied to the corresponding specific epithets. The type species of the genus is Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith and Townsend 1907) Conn 1942, even if treated as a later heterotypic synonym of Agrobacterium radiobacter (Beijerinck and van Delden 1902) Conn 1942. Agrobacterium tumefaciens (Smith and Townsend 1907) Conn 1942 is typified by the strain defined on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and by strains known to be derived from the nomenclatural type.

The Judicial Commission affirms that, according to information presented to it, the type strain of Leifsonia rubra Reddy et al. 2003 designated in the original publication as strain CMS 76r and deposited as MTCC 4210, DSM 15304, CIP 107783 and JCM 12471 does not have properties corresponding with those of the strains held in those collections under those accession numbers. The species Leifsonia rubra Reddy et al. 2003 was not represented by an authentic deposit of a type strain at the time of effective publication in the pages of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

The publication of Opinion 83, which dealt with the valid publication of the subgenus names Moraxella and Branhamella (in the genus Moraxella ), has highlighted a problem relating to the absence of descriptions associated with these names at the time they were effectively published. This calls into question whether the ruling outlined in Opinion 83, that these names should have qualified for inclusion on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, and their inclusion on Validation List 15 are not in accordance with Rule 27 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria governing the valid publication of a name. The subgenus names Moraxella and Branhamella (in the genus Moraxella ) are not to be considered to be included on the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, nor are they to be considered to be validly published by inclusion on Validation List 15.

The Judicial Commission affirms that the genus name Methanothrix Huser et al. 1983 and the species combination Methanothrix soehngenii Huser et al. 1983 do not contravene Rule 31a and are not to be considered as rejected names. The genus name Methanosaeta Patel and Sprott 1990 applies to the same taxon as Methanothrix Huser et al. 1983 and is therefore a later heterotypic synonym. The combinations Methanothrix thermoacetophila corrig. Nozhevnikova and Chudina 1988 and Methanothrix thermophila Kamagata et al. 1992 are considered to refer to the same taxon, a consequence of which is that Methanothrix thermophila Kamagata et al. 1992 contravenes Rule 51b and is placed on the List of Rejected Names.

The attention of the Judicial Commission was drawn to issues relating to the use of names at the rank of class, subclass and order and the nomenclatural type of names at the rank of class and subclass that were not covered by Opinion 79. The Judicial Commission ruled that names at the rank of class and order proposed by Cavalier-Smith (Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 52, 7–76, 2002) are to be placed on the List of Rejected Names (nomina rejicienda) and the use of names proposed in that publication above the rank of class is to be actively discouraged. In addition a list of names at the rank of class, subclass and order is given where the nomenclatural type, description or circumscription is unclear or where they otherwise appear to be not in accordance with the Rules of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria.