INTERNATIONAL JOURNALOF SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY, OCt. 1976, p. 563 - 599 Vol. 26, No. 4 Copyright 0 1976 International Association of Microbiological Societies Printed in USA. First Draft Approved Lists of Bacterial Names submitted by The Ad Hoc Committee of the Judicial Commission of the ICSB At the meeting of the Judicial Commission of the to a PDP-I0 Computer where species for each genus ICSB held in Jerusalem on the 29th March 1973 an Ad were sorted alphabetically and stored in separate files. Hoc Committee was appointed (Minute 22) to organize The completed edited lists were converted by the com- a review of the currently valid names of bacteria with puter from ASCII code to TTS code for computer- the object of retaining only names for those bacteria controlled type-setting by Queensland Newspapers which are adequately described and, if cultivable. for Proprietary Limited, who generated the bromide copy which there is a Type or Neotype strain available, and from which publication has been printed. The type to compile these names under the title of Approved source was limited to 4 fonts and had no provision for Lists of Bacterial Names to be published in the Inter- diacritical signs which have, of necessity, been omitted national Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. to become from the spelling of personal names in the list of ac- effective on January I, 1980. Only those names which knowledgements. appear on the Approved Lists or are validated by pub- The primary function of the Ad Hoc Committee is lication in the IJSB (Rule 27 Note I, Code of No- editorial. It depends, for advice on name selection, on menclature of Bacteria) after January 1. 1980, need to specialists with a knowledge of each taxon. Returned be taken into consideration. January 1, 1980, will re- lists have only been edited to conform with a uniform place 1753 as the date for recognition of priority of new pattern of publication and the International Code of names. Names not included in the Approved Lists will Nomenclature of Bacteria. In most instances all syno- no longer have any standing in nomenclature. Such nyms, including basonyms. had been deleted by the ad- names will be available for reuse. visors. The retention of basonyms seems unnecessary as The Committee agreed that, as a basis for enquiry, the origin of the specific epithet, where a species has all names which had been included in the eighth edition been transferred from one genus to another, is indicated of Bergeys Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, by the name of the original author and date of publica- whether listed as recognised species, synonyms, species tion inserted in parenthesis after the specific epithet in incertae sedis, or under other headings, should be cir- the new combination and this will be supplemented in culated. It further agreed that all Subcommittees on the final document (1980) by a list of references to these Taxonomy of the ICSB should be asked for advice on original publications. the retention of names of species of those genera for Synonyms will be retained where there is a difference which the Subcommittees were responsible and that of opinion regarding the taxonomic position of a spe- specialists be approached for advice on other genera - cies. It is possible that some other synonyms may be only a small list of genera each containing only a few retained if the change in position has occurred within species to be considered by the Ad Hoc Committee approximately ten years prior to the date of publication itself. A list of these specialists was drawn up and ap- of the final list (January 1, 1980). It is hoped that these proved by the Ad Hoc Committee. Each specialist ,was can be kept to a minimum. asked to associate two others in reaching a decision on Advice on the retention of species within a particular name retention. genus has often been received from a number of differ- The editorial work on the lists is being conducted in ent sources, not all of which agreed on the selection. In the office of the Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee. consequence those species listed represent the summa- This office is equipped with a RICOH typewriter and a tion of the collective opinions - no one opinion being Teletype Computer Terminal, both using ASCII coded accepted in preference to another. paper tape. To facilitate the enquiry all names and syn- Contained in the lists are some names which have onyms were typed on the RICOH typewriter and copies not appeared in the eighth edition of Bergeys Manual - forwarded to advisors with the request that names not either having been omitted from it or been published to be retained be deleted with a red pen. The paper since the Manual went to press. The latter list will by no tapes corresponding to lists so returned were simply means be complete. read through the RICOH typewriter using a LINE Also consideration was given to those names listed in SKIP instruction to delete unacceptable names and at the sixth edition of Topley and Wilsons Principles of the same time generate a new tape with only names and Bacteriology and Immunity. synonyms to be retained. Some synonyms which were deleted by advisors These tapes were fed through the computer terminal have, pro tern, been reinstated by the Ad Hoc Com- 563 564 FIRST DRAFT OF APPROVED LISTS INT. J. SYST.BACTERIOL. mittee pending advice on their ultimate retention. These tures of the species listed and a compilation of a bib- are generic names employed by Prevot in the subdivi- liography covering those papers in which the descrip- sion of the genus Clostridium. tions of the species (including the basonyms) are to be The Committee commends the conservatism ex- found. pressed by the majority of advisors and reaffirms the The format of the final lists has yet to be decided. It view expressed in advice circulated to the Subcom- is possible that two separate formats may be adopted - mittees and advisors that there is nothing to be gained one listing species alphabetically under genera and the by inclusion of any names of an organism whose identi- other listing all species collectively alphabetically, the ty is doubtful even though cultures of the organisms species name preceding that of the genus. The latter may be available. Such organisms should constitute the format facilitates recognition of the relationship of subject of new publications at the appropriate time. names particularly where the same species appears These remarks do not apply to a well recognised species under two different genera as a result of difference of whose taxonomic position is undecided. Such species opinion on position. The question of elimination of du- will be listed under separate genera and adequately plication in the use of the same specific epithet for spe- cross-referenced. cies in different genera is being considered. For three genera, Pseudomonas, Xanthomonas and The Committee has agreed to the following schedule Streptomyces, the lists appear inappropriately large. of enquiry of which this publication is stage one. The Approved Lists will contain the names of species 1. Publish the First Draft of the list of species, with and subspecies (to which the Rules of the Code apply), authorities, in the last issue of the IJSB appearing but will not include infrasubspecific subdivisions. At- in 1976. tention is drawn to the fact that in the 1976 edition of 2. Invite comments from any interested person or per- the Code the term variety has been cited as synonymous sons to June 30, 1977, at which time work will with subspecies and its continued use discouraged. It is commence on the compilation of the Second quite evident that many authors have not been using the Draft to be published in the last issue of the IJSB term variety in the sense of subspecies, but as an in- to appear in 1977. frasubspecific term. Consequently most names of vari- 3. Invite comments on the Second Draft to June 30, eties have been deleted. 1978, after which time a Third Draft of the lists in Likewise the term nomenspecies, defined by Ravin final format will be produced for submission to as synonymous with Type species, has been used as an the ICSB at the International Congress of Bac- infrasubspecific term. For the First Draft the lists of teriology in Munich in September 1978. It is names submitted as nomenspecies have been included hoped that the ICSB will, at its meeting at that in the genus Xanthornonas. They will be removed from Congress, approve of the Lists as presented and subsequent drafts unless advice is received that they authorize the Ad Hoc Committqe to continue to have species status. accept amendments to the Lists to June 30, 1979, In this regard it is important to note that the state- and thereafter prepare the lists for publication by ment relating to the non-recognition of the names of January 1, 1980. species and subspecies which do not appear in the Ap- The above schedule is at present considered com- proved Lists on January I, 1980, does not apply to patible with the facilities available to the Committee for infrasubspecific terms. Consequently serovar (serotype) production of the lists. It will provide for the addition of names, as commonly employed in the genus Salmon- new names as they appear in the literature between now ella, are not affected. Likewise, names applied to path- and June 30, 1979. Additions of new names appearing ovars are not affected. However, in the interests of no- beyond that date will be at the discretion of the Ad Hoc menclatural clarity authors are asked to adopt the prac- Committee and will depend primarily on the problems tice of using the infrasubspecific terms listed in the 1976 associated with the preparation of the final document.