Name: Sphingobacteriaceae Steyn et al. 1998

Category: Family

Proposed as: fam. nov.

Etymology: Sphin.go.bac.te.ri.a’ce.ae. N.L. neut. n. Sphingobacterium, type genus of the family; L. fem. pl. n. suff. -aceae, ending to denote a family; N.L. fem. pl. n. Sphingobacteriaceae, the Sphingobacterium family

Pronunciation, gender: sp^hin-go-bak-te-ri-A-ke-a͡e, feminine

Type genus: Sphingobacterium Yabuuchi et al. 1983

Valid publication: Steyn PL, Segers P, Vancanneyt M, Sandra P, Kersters K, Joubert JJ. Classification of heparinolytic bacteria into a new genus, Pedobacter, comprising four species: Pedobacter heparinus comb. nov., Pedobacter piscium comb. nov., Pedobacter africanus sp. nov. and Pedobacter saltans sp. nov. proposal of the family Sphingobacteriaceae fam. nov. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1998; 48:165-177.

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 48, part 1 of the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1998; 48:629.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

• Emendations:
  • García-López et al. 2019 Garcia-Lopez M, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC, Hahnke RL, Goker M. Analysis of 1,000 Type-Strain Genomes Improves Taxonomic Classification of Bacteroidetes. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2083. Oren A, Garrity GM. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 32. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:4061-4090.
    Notes:
    • ⊕ Emendation accompanied by the inclusion of 13 genera in the family.

• Notes:
  • 🧕 Garcia-Lopez et al. (2019) assigned this family to the class Sphingobacteriia Kämpfer 2012. Publication: Garcia-Lopez M, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC, Hahnke RL, Goker M. Analysis of 1,000 Type-Strain Genomes Improves Taxonomic Classification of Bacteroidetes. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2083.
  • 🧒 Lian et al. (2025) assigned the genus Rubrolithibacter Lian et al. 2025 to this family. Publication: Lian WH, He HH, Wang Y, Zheng ZH, Chen F, Zhou T, Hu CJ, Han JR, Dong L, Li WJ. Rubrolithibacter danxiaensis gen. nov., sp. nov. isolated from red sandy conglomerate in the Danxia Mountain. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2025; 118:66.
  • 🧒 Ludwig et al. (2021) assigned the genus Arcticibacterium Li et al. 2017 to this family. Publication: Ludwig W, Viver T, Westram R, Francisco Gago J, Bustos-Caparros E, Knittel K, Amann R, Rossello-Mora R. Release LTP_12_2020, featuring a new ARB alignment and improved 16S rRNA tree for prokaryotic type strains. Syst Appl Microbiol 2021; 44:126218.
  • 📧 The e-mail address of the corresponding author given in the effective publication is not functional any more.
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Bowman JP, Hugo C, Bernardet JF. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Aerobic Bacteroidetes (formerly Flavobacterium and Cytophaga-like bacteria). Minutes of the meeting, 30 July 2014, Montreal, Canada. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2017; 67:507-509.
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Bernardet JF, Bowman JP. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Flavobacterium and Cytophaga-like bacteria: Minutes of the meetings, 7 September 2011, Sapporo, Japan. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2013; 63:2752-2754.
  • 🧔 This taxon was discussed in a meeting of a Taxonomic Subcommittee of the ICSP. Publication: Bowman JP, Bernardet JF, Frandsen Lau E. International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes: Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Aerobic Bacteroidetes (formerly Flavobacterium and Cytophaga-like bacteria). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2020; 70:6017-6020.
  • 💁 Taxonomists who have recently focused on this group are the corresponding authors of Lian et al. (2025), Du et al. (2015). Editors in search of reviewers are advised to consider additional criteria such as whether a taxon is covered by one of the ICSP subcommittees.
  • 🎰 The BRCs most frequently used for deposits in this group are: KCTC: 156; JCM: 86; LMG: 86; KACC: 84; DSM: 76; NBRC: 65; CCTCC: 51; CGMCC: 45; CIP: 36; CCUG: 22.

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 18
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 20
Total number of child taxa: 23

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    Albibacterium García-López et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Anseongella Siddiqi et al. 2016	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Arcticibacter Prasad et al. 2013	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Daejeonella García-López et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Desertivirga Li et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Hevizibacter" San Miguel et al. 2014	not validly published	preferred name
    Hufsiella Kang et al. 2023	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Mucilaginibacter Pankratov et al. 2007	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Nubsella Asker et al. 2008	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Olivibacter Ntougias et al. 2007	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Paradesertivirga Li et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Parapedobacter Kim et al. 2007	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Pararcticibacter Cai et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Pedobacter Steyn et al. 1998	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Pelobium Xia et al. 2016	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Pseudopedobacter Cao et al. 2014	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Pseudosphingobacterium Vaz-Moreira et al. 2007	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Rhinopithecimicrobium Wang et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Rubrilithobacter corrig. Lian et al. 2025	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Rubrolithibacter Lian et al. 2025	inaccurate spelling	misspelling
    Solitalea Weon et al. 2009	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Sphingobacterium Yabuuchi et al. 1983	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Sphingobacterium" Yabuuchi et al. 1981	not validly published	synonym

Parent taxon: Sphingobacteriales Kämpfer 2012

Assigned by: Kämpfer P. Order I. Sphingobacteriales ord. nov. In: Krieg NR, Staley JT, Brown DR, Hedlund BP, Paster BJ, Ward NL, Ludwig W, Whitman WB (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 2nd edn, vol. 4, Springer, New York, 2010, p. 330.

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Record number: 1299