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Domain Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species Rarely used categories

LPSN - List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature

Founded in 1997 by Jean P. Euzéby.

The List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) provides comprehensive information on the nomenclature of prokaryotes and much more. Navigating LPSN is easy.

LPSN is a free to use service founded by Jean P. Euzéby in 1997 and later on maintained by Aidan C. Parte.

Jean Paul Euzéby passed away on 27 October 2025. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Prof. Euzéby’s family and friends.

As of February 2020, the regularly augmented LPSN database at DSMZ is the basis of this new LPSN service. The new database was implemented for the Type-Strain Genome Server and augmented in 2018 to store all kinds of nomenclatural information. Data from the previous version of LPSN and from the Prokaryotic Nomenclature Up-to-date (PNU) service were imported into the new system. PNU had been established in 1993 as a service of the Leibniz Institute DSMZ, and was curated by Norbert Weiss, Manfred Kracht and Dorothea Gleim.

As of December 2023, LPSN is recognized as Global Core Biodata Resource. As of January 2026, LPSN is recognized as ELIXIR Core Data Resource.

When using the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance, cite:

  • Göker, M., Christensen, H., Fingerle, V., Kostovski, M,, Margos, G., Moore, E.R.B., Oren, A., Patrick, S., Reischl, U., Vázquez-Boland, J.A. (2025). List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance: report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Mitigating Changes in Prokaryotic Nomenclature. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol, 75:6943; DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006943

When using other aspects of LPSN (including the Application Programming Interface or API), cite:

  • Freese, H.M., Meier-Kolthoff, J.P., Sardà Carbasse, J., Afolayan, A.O., Göker, M. (2025). TYGS and LPSN in 2025: a Global Core Biodata Resource for genome-based classification and nomenclature of prokaryotes within DSMZ Digital Diversity. Nucleic Acids Research, advanced access, gkaf1110; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaf1110

When citing LPSN always mention the date on which you accessed the website or the API.

Obsolete references:

  • Meier-Kolthoff, J.P., Sardà Carbasse, J., Peinado-Olarte, R.L. and Göker, M. (2022). TYGS and LPSN: a database tandem for fast and reliable genome-based classification and nomenclature of prokaryotes. Nucleic Acids Res, 50, D801-D807; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab902
  • Parte, A.C., Sardà Carbasse, J., Meier-Kolthoff, J.P., Reimer, L.C. and Göker, M. (2020). List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) moves to the DSMZ. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 70, 5607-5612; DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.004332
  • Parte, A.C. (2018). LPSN — List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (bacterio.net), 20 years on. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 68, 1825-1829; DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.002786
  • Parte, A.C. (2014). LPSN — List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature. Nucleic Acids Research, 42, Issue D1, D613–D616; DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt1111
  • Euzéby, J.P. (1997). List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature: a Folder Available on the Internet. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 47, 590-592; DOI: 10.1099/00207713-47-2-590

2026-01-13 – LPSN becomes ELIXIR Core Data Resource.

This LPSN page was printed on 2026-01-20 20:57:08