The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) formerly the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria (ICNB) or Bacteriological Code (BC) governs the
scientific name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
s for
Bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
and
Archaea
Archaea ( ; singular archaeon ) is a domain of single-celled organisms. These microorganisms lack cell nuclei and are therefore prokaryotes. Archaea were initially classified as bacteria, receiving the name archaebacteria (in the Archaebac ...
.
[P. H. A. Sneath, 2003. A short history of the Bacteriological Cod]
URL
It denotes the rules for naming
taxa
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
of bacteria, according to their relative rank. As such it is one of the
nomenclature codes
Nomenclature codes or codes of nomenclature are the various rulebooks that govern biological taxonomic nomenclature, each in their own broad field of organisms. To an end-user who only deals with names of species, with some awareness that species ...
of
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
.
Originally the ''
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all those "trad ...
'' dealt with bacteria, and this kept references to bacteria until these were eliminated at the 1975
International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotat ...
. An early Code for the nomenclature of bacteria was approved at the 4th International Congress for Microbiology in 1947, but was later discarded.
The latest version to be printed in book form is the 1990 Revision, but the book does not represent the current rules. The 2008 Revision has been published in the ''
'' (IJSEM).
[ Rules are maintained by the ]International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP), formerly the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology (ICSB), is the body that oversees the nomenclature of prokaryotes, determines the rules by which prokaryotes are named ...
(ICSP; formerly the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology, ICSB).
The baseline for bacterial names is the Approved Lists with a starting point of 1980. New bacterial names are reviewed by the ICSP as being in conformity with the Rules of Nomenclature and published in the ''IJSEM''.
Cyanobacteria
Since 1975, most bacteria were covered under the bacteriological code. However, cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...
were still covered by the botanical code. Starting in 1999, cyanobacteria were covered by both the botanical and bacteriological codes. This situation has caused nomenclatural problems for the cyanobacteria. By 2020, there were three proposals for how to resolve the situation:
# Exclude cyanobacteria from the bacteriological code.
# Apply the bacteriological code to all cyanobacteria.
# Treat valid publication under the botanical code as valid publication under the bacteriological code.
In 2021, the ICSP held a formal vote on the three proposals and the third option was chosen.
Type strain
Since 2001, when a new bacterial or archaeal species is described, a type strain must be designated.[Prokaryotic Code (2008 Revision)](_blank)
Rule 18a. The type strain is a living culture to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. For a new species name to be validly published, the type strain must be deposited in a public culture collection
A microbiological culture, or microbial culture, is a method of multiplying microbial organisms by letting them reproduce in predetermined culture medium under controlled laboratory conditions. Microbial cultures are foundational and basic diagn ...
in at least two different countries.[Prokaryotic Code (2008 Revision)](_blank)
Rule 30. Before 2001, a species could also be typified using a description, a preserved specimen, or an illustration.American Type Culture Collection
ATCC or the American Type Culture Collection is a nonprofit organization which collects, stores, and distributes standard reference microorganisms, cell lines and other materials for research and development. Established in 1925 to serve as a nati ...
, DSM 30083 by the German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures
The Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH (German: ''Leibniz-Institut DSMZ-Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen GmbH''), located in Braunschweig, is a research infrastructure in th ...
, JCM 1649 by the Japan Collection of Microorganisms, and LMG 2092 by the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms The Belgian Co-ordinated Collections of Micro-organisms (BCCM) is a Belgian government funded consortium of seven scientific institutions, who manage and exploit a collection of microbial and genetic resources. The consortium comprises more than 269 ...
.candidatus
In prokaryote nomenclature, ''Candidatus'' (Latin for candidate of Roman office) is used to name prokaryotic phyla that are well characterized but yet-uncultured. Contemporary sequencing approaches, such as 16S sequencing or metagenomics, provide m ...
'' name, but is not considered validly published.[Prokaryotic Code (2008 Revision)](_blank)
Appendix 11.
Versions
* Buchanan, R. E., and Ralph St. John-Brooks. (1947, June) (Editors). ''Proposed Bacteriological Code of Nomenclature''. Developed from proposals approved by International Committee on Bacteriological Nomenclature at the Meeting of the Third International Congress for Microbiology. Publication authorized in Plenary Session, pp. 61. Iowa State College Press, Ames, Iowa. U.S.A
Hathi Trust
* Reprinted 1949, ''Journal of General Microbiology'' 3, 444–462.
* International Committee on Bacteriological Nomenclature. (1958, June). ''International code of nomenclature of bacteria and viruses''. Ames, Iowa State College Press
BHL
* Lapage, S.P., Sneath, P.H.A., Lessel, E.F., Skerman, V.B.D., Seeliger, H.P.R. & Clark, W.A. (1975). ''International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria''. 1975 Revision. American Society of Microbiology, Washington, D.C
* Lapage, S.P., Sneath, P.H.A., Lessel, E.F., Skerman, V.B.D., Seeliger, H.P.R. & Clark, W.A. (1992). ''International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria''. Bacteriological Code. 1990 Revision. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C
link
* Parker, C.T., Tindall, B.J. & Garrity, G.M., eds. (2019)
International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2008 Revision)
''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology'' 69(1A): S1–S111. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.000778
See also
* Glossary of scientific naming
This is a list of terms and symbols used in scientific names for organisms, and in describing the names. For proper parts of the names themselves, see List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names. Note that many of the abbreviat ...
* International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) authorizes and organizes the taxonomic classification of and the nomenclatures for viruses. The ICTV has developed a universal taxonomic scheme for viruses, and thus has the means to app ...
* Microbiology Society
The Microbiology Society (previously the Society for General Microbiology) is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes and schools. It is the large ...
References
External links
''International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology Online''
* {{cite journal , pmid = 10425796 , volume=49 , title=Misunderstanding the Bacteriological Code , date=July 1999 , journal=Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. , pages=1313–6 , author=Tindall BJ , doi=10.1099/00207713-49-3-1313 , doi-access=free , issue=3
List of Prokaryotic Names with Standing in Nomenclature
Search of Prokaryotic Nomenclature provided by NamesforLife
International standards
Bacterial nomenclature
Nomenclature codes
International classification systems