Proposed revision of Rule 33c to perpetuate the citation of revived names.

All names published prior to 1980 that were not included in the Approved Lists are available for reuse without reference to their past application. However, the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria endorses the revival of disused names in the sense in which they were previously used and provides Rules (28a, 33c and 33d) as guidance. Nevertheless, the Code is obscure as to how citations are to be reported for this use to be perpetuated in subsequent nomenclatural revisions. A revision of Rule 33c is proposed.

Proposal of Goodfellowiella gen. nov. to replace the illegitimate genus name Goodfellowia Labeda and Kroppenstedt 2006.

The prokaryotic, generic name Goodfellowia Labeda and Kroppenstedt 2006 is illegitimate because it is a later homonym of the name Goodfellowia Hartert, 1903 (Animalia, Chordata, Aves, Passeriformes, Sturnidae) [Principle 2 of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision)]. A new genus name, Goodfellowiella, is therefore proposed for this taxon (Rule 54). This also requires that a new combination, Goodfellowiella coeruleoviolacea comb. nov., be proposed for the type species to replace the illegitimate combination Goodfellowia coeruleoviolacea (Preobrazhenskaya and Terekhova 1987) Labeda and Kroppenstedt 2006.

Proposal to modify Rule 8 of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision).

The wording of Rule 8 of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision) contradicts Principle 4 and it is proposed that the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP) modifies this rule.

Lysobacter enzymogenes subsp. enzymogenes Christensen and Cook 1978, L. enzymogenes subsp. cookii Christensen 1978 and Streptococcus casseliflavus (Mundt and Graham 1968) Vaughan et al. 1978 should have been cited in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names. Request for an opinion.

Lysobacter enzymogenes subsp. enzymogenes Christensen and Cook 1978, L. enzymogenes subsp. cookii Christensen 1978 and Streptococcus casseliflavus (Mundt and Graham 1968) Vaughan et al. 1978 were inadvertently omitted from the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names. According to Rule 24a, Note 1, the authors request that these names be considered as included in these Lists.

Proposal of Parvimonas gen. nov. and Quatrionicoccus gen. nov. as replacements for the illegitimate, prokaryotic, generic names Micromonas Murdoch and Shah 2000 and Quadricoccus Maszenan et al. 2002, respectively.

The prokaryotic, generic names Micromonas Murdoch and Shah 2000 and Quadricoccus Maszenan et al. 2002 are illegitimate* because they are later homonyms of the names Micromonas Manton and Parke 1960 (alga) and Quadricoccus Fott 1948 (alga). [Principle 2, Rule 51b(4) of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision)]. Such names have no claim to be correct names (Principle 6) and, therefore, replacement generic names must be proposed (Rule 54).

Nomenclature and taxonomy of the genus Salmonella.

The nomenclature of the genus Salmonella has reached an unsatisfactory state of affairs, with two systems of nomenclature in circulation. One system, proposed in the 1980s by Le Minor and Popoff, has received wide acceptance, although it does not conform to the rules of the Bacteriological Code. The other system, which conforms to the rules of the Bacteriological Code, is being used by an ever-decreasing minority. As a result of a number of recent Requests for an Opinion, the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on the Systematics of Prokaryotes has issued an Opinion (Opinion 80) with the intention that it should solve these discrepancies. However, like all Opinions, it is limited to matters of nomenclature and does not help to interpret the taxonomic consequences. The Judicial Commission has therefore asked experts in the field of nomenclature and taxonomy to write a commentary on the nomenclatural and taxonomic consequences of Opinion 80. The present article explains the nomenclatural consequences of Opinion 80, together with a clear presentation of the taxonomy that results when applying the currently widely accepted interpretation that the genus Salmonella currently includes only two species.

A replacement name of the specific epithet aurantiaca in Micromonospora aurantiaca Sveshnikova et al. 1969 (Approved Lists 1980) and a proposal to treat the combination Micromonospora aurantiaca Sveshnikova et al. 1969 as a rejected name. Request for an opinion.

According to Rules and Principles of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), Micromonospora aurantiaca Sveshnikova et al. 1969 (Approved Lists 1980) is not correct because the specific epithet is illegitimate. The authors request the replacement of the specific epithet aurantiaca and they suggest sandarakina. They also request that the specific epithet aurantiaca in M. aurantiaca be rejected.

Status of strains that contravene Rules 27(3) and 30 of the Bacteriological Code. Request for an opinion.

In the period from January 2001, at least 207 new names proposed in articles in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology or cited in Validation Lists are not in accordance with Rules 27(3) and 30 of the Bacteriological Code. The purpose of the present Request for an Opinion is to clarify the status of the names listed and to provide a solution whereby they may be considered to be validly published.

Necessary corrections to the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names according to Rule 40d (formerly Rule 46). Request for an opinion.

According to Rule 40d (formerly Rule 46), the authorship and dates of ten subspecies cited in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names should be corrected. It is requested that such changes be approved by the Judicial Commission.

Corrigenda to the validation lists.

Some repetitions, omissions or errors have been made in the Validation Lists published in the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology and they are corrected in this paper.

Nomenclature of the subgenera Moraxella and Branhamella and of the nine species included in these subgenera and proposal to modify rule 34a of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision). Request for an opinion.

The subgenera Moraxella and Branhamella and the nine species included in these subgenera were inadvertently omitted from the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names and have never been revived according to Rule 28a of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision). The author requests that these names be revived and considered to be validly published in the 'Index of the bacterial and yeast nomenclatural changes published in the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology since the 1980 Approved Lists of Bacterial Names (1 January 1980 to 1 January 1985)', which appears in the July 1985 issue of the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. Another problem is the status of the species included in the subgenera Moraxella and Branhamella because the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision) does not envisage the status of a species transferred into a subgenus. The same is true for a species transferred into a subspecies. The author requests that such species be considered as new combinations and, according to this, proposes to modify Rule 34a of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision).

Nomenclatural type of orders: corrections necessary according to Rules 15 and 21a of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), and designation of appropriate nomenclatural types of classes and subclasses. Request for an opinion.

An important aspect of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision) is the designation of nomenclatural types to the various taxonomic ranks to provide a suitable reference point for the unambiguous identification of the taxon. Although the nomenclatural type of the species is the designated strain, and the nomenclatural type of the genus is the type species, the nomenclatural type of both the family and the order is the 'genus on whose name the name of the relevant taxon is based'. However, in some cases a genus has not been designated as the nomenclatural type of an order. Twelve cases that are contrary to the Rules listed and appropriate corrections are proposed. In addition, several classes have been named for which no nomenclatural type has been designated; this brings into question whether they can be considered to have been validly published, as well as highlighting the fact that they would be/are illegitimate.

A taxonomic note on the authorship and date of valid publication of Rhodococcus sputi.

Authorship of the name Rhodococcus sputi is variously attributed to Tsukamura 1978 or Tsukamura and Yano 1985. DNA-DNA binding data indicate that this species and Rhodococcus obuensis Tsukamura 1983 and Rhodococcus chubuensis Tsukamura 1983 are subjective (heterotypic) synonyms. Although these organisms have been placed in the genus Gordonia as Gordonia sputi, the correct name of the taxon created by unification of these three species is directly affected by the date of valid publication of these species as members of the genus Rhodococcus. Thus, the name R. sputi only has priority if the authorship is attributed to Tsukamura 1978. The question of authorship and priority is clarified in the present work.

The modern Latin word rhabdus belongs to the feminine gender, inducing necessary corrections according to Rules 65(2), 12c(1) and 13b of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision).

The modern Latin word rhabdus does belong to the feminine gender. According to Rules 65(2), 12c(1) and 13b of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), the gender of six generic names and the spelling of nine specific and subspecific epithets are proposed to be corrected.

Revised Salmonella nomenclature: designation of Salmonella enterica (ex Kauffmann and Edwards 1952) Le Minor and Popoff 1987 sp. nov., nom. rev. as the neotype species of the genus Salmonella Lignieres 1900 (approved lists 1980), rejection of the name Salmonella choleraesuis (Smith 1894) Weldin 1927 (approved lists 1980), and conservation of the name Salmonella typhi (Schroeter 1886) Warren and Scott 1930 (approved lists 1980). Request for an opinion.

The Request for an Opinion by Le Minor and Popoff 1987, proposing designation of 'Salmonella enterica' (ex Kauffman and Edwards 1952) Le Minor and Popoff 1987 as the type and only species of the genus Salmonella Lignieres 1900 (Approved Lists 1980), has not been positively decided upon by the Judicial Commission. However, many bacteriologists use the name 'Salmonella enterica'. To avoid further confusion, it is requested to reject the name Salmonella choleraesuis (Smith 1894) Weldin 1927 (Approved Lists 1980), to recognize the species Salmonella enterica, to conserve the name Salmonella typhi (Schroeter 1886) Warren and Scott 1930 (Approved Lists 1980), and to emend the genus Salmonella with the establishment of a neotype species, Salmonella enterica.

Proposal to amend rule 61 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (1990 revision).

It is proposed to modify the Note of rule 61 as follows: 'The liberty of correcting a name or epithet under Rules 61, 62a and 62b must be used with reserve especially i) if the change affects the first syllable and above all the first letter of the name or epithet, and ii) if a name or epithet is cited in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names.'