Genus Limnospira

Name: Limnospira Nowicka-Krawczyk et al. 2019

Category: Genus

Proposed as: gen. nov.

Etymology: Lim.no.spi’ra. Gr. fem. n. limnê, lake, lagoon (λίμνη); Gr. fem. n. speîra, spiral (σπείρα); N.L. fem. n. Limnospira, the generic name refers to the morphology of trichomes and typical habitat, i.e. lakes

Gender, pronunciation (Latin): feminine (stem: Limnospir-), lim-no-SPI-ra

Type species: Limnospira fusiformis (Woronichin 1934) Nowicka-Krawczyk et al. 2019

Valid publication: Nowicka-Krawczyk P, Muhlsteinova R, Hauer T. Detailed characterization of the Arthrospira type species separating commercially grown taxa into the new genus Limnospira (Cyanobacteria). Sci Rep 2019; 9:694. 🇨🇿

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICN (Botanical Code)

Taxonomic status: correct name

Emendations:
- Pinchart et al. 2024 Pinchart PE, Marter P, Brinkmann H, Quilichini Y, Mysara M, Petersen J, Pasqualini V, Mastroleo F. The genus Limnospira contains only two species both unable to produce microcystins: L. maxima and L. platensis comb. nov. iScience 2024; 27:110845. 🇩🇪 Oren A, Göker M. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 42. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2025; 75:6793.
  Notes:
  - ⊕ Emendation accompanied by the proposal of 1 new species in the genus.
  - 🧍 Name validly published under the ICNafp although it appeared in a List of Changes in Taxonomic Opinion.

Notes:
- 🧕 Berthold et al. (2022) assigned this genus to the family Sirenicapillariaceae Berthold et al. 2022. Publication: Berthold DE, Lefler FW, Laughinghouse HD. Recognizing novel cyanobacterial diversity in marine benthic mats, with the description of Sirenicapillariaceae fam. nov., two new genera, Sirenicapillaria gen. nov. and Tigrinifilum gen. nov., and seven new species. Phycologia 2022; 0:1-20. 🇺🇸
- 🙄 This taxon name is occasionally misprinted (or affected by an OCR error) in some sources as: "Limnospria"; "Limonospira".
- 🎰 The BRCs most frequently used for deposits in this group are: UTEX: 2; SAG: 1; CCALA: 1.
- 🧍 Full authorship: Nowicka-Krawczyk, Mühlsteinová and Hauer 2019.

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 2
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 5
Total number of child taxa: 6

Child taxa:

Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
Limnospira fusiformis (Woronichin 1934) Nowicka-Krawczyk et al. 2019	validly published under the ICN (Botanical Code)	synonym
Limnospira indica (Desikachary and Jeeji Bai 1992) Nowicka-Krawczyk et al. 2019	validly published under the ICN (Botanical Code)	synonym
Limnospira maxima (Setchell and Gardner 1917) Nowicka-Krawczyk et al. 2019	validly published under the ICN (Botanical Code)	correct name
Limnospira platensis (Gomont 1892) Pinchart et al. 2024	validly published under the ICN (Botanical Code), illegitimate name	synonym
"Limnospira platensis" (Gomont 1892) Nowicka-Krawczyk et al. 2019	not validly published	synonym
Limnospira platensis (Gomont 1892) Santos and Hentschke 2023	validly published under the ICN (Botanical Code)	correct name

Parent taxon: Microcoleaceae (Hansgirg 1892) Strunecký et al. 2013

Assigned by: Strunecky O, Ivanova AP, Mares J. An updated classification of cyanobacterial orders and families based on phylogenomic and polyphasic analysis. J Phycol 2023; 59:12-51. 🇨🇿

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Record number: 6287

This LPSN page was printed on 2026-02-11 16:41:59

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Genus Limnospira