List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature: a Folder Available on the Internet

This article describes the List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature, a comprehensive internet-accessible database of officially recognized bacterial taxa. As of December 31, 1996, the list encompassed 5,569 bacterial taxa, with approximately 200 new names or nomenclatural changes validly published annually since the official starting date of January 1, 1980. The database includes entries from the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names (2,336 names) plus subsequent validly published names from the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. Each taxon entry provides the nomenclatural type and complete references formatted according to the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria. The article explains the database's organizational features, including use of arrows to indicate emendations, transfers to new genera, rank changes, synonymies, and Judicial Commission exceptions; equals signs for objective synonyms; and annotations clarifying nomenclatural history. The list also includes basonyms, corrections to spelling, and a separate Candidatus category for putative taxa lacking sufficient characteristics for formal description. Made available online via FTP beginning March 28, 1997, the database was designed to facilitate rapid access to current bacterial nomenclature with planned quarterly updates.

Key findings

• The List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature contained 5,569 officially recognized bacterial taxa as of December 31, 1996, with approximately 200 new names added annually since 1980.
• The database integrates the 2,336 names from the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names with subsequent validly published nomenclatural changes from the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology.
• The list uses standardized symbols (arrows, equals signs) and annotations to track nomenclatural events including emendations, genus transfers, rank changes, synonymies, and spelling corrections.
• Each taxon entry includes nomenclatural type designations, complete references, and basonyms to clarify taxonomic history and genealogy.
• The resource was made available on the internet via FTP to improve accessibility and was designed for quarterly updates to maintain current nomenclatural information.