Name: Methanothrix Huser et al. 1983

Category: Genus

Proposed as: gen. nov.

Etymology: N.L. neut. n. methanum, methane; from French masc. n. méthyle; from Chem. neut. suff. -ane; N.L. pref. methano-, pertaining to methane; Gr. fem. n. thrix, hair; N.L. fem. n. Methanothrix, methane (-producing) hair

Gender: feminine (stem: Methanotrich-)

Type species: Methanothrix soehngenii Huser et al. 1983

16S rRNA gene: Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Huser BA, Wuhrmann K, Zehnder AJB. Methanothrix soehngenii gen. nov., sp. nov., a new acetotrophic non-hydrogen-oxidizing methane bacterium. Arch. Microbiol. 1982; 132:1-9.

IJSEM list: Anonymous. Validation list no. 10. Validation of publication of new names and new combinations previously effectively published outside the IJSB. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1983; 33:438-440.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Methanosaeta Patel and Sprott 1990	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP, illegitimate name

• Notes:
  • Nomenclatural type of the family "Methanotrichaceae" Oren 2014. Publication: Oren A. The Family Methanotrichaceae. In: Rosenberg E, DeLong EF, Lory S, Stackebrandt E, Thompson F (eds), The Prokaryotes – Firmicutes and Tenericutes, 4th edition, Springer, Berlin, 2014, p. 297-306.
  • Nomenclatural type of the family Methanotrichaceae Akinyemi et al. 2021. Publication: Akinyemi TS, Shao N, Whitman WB. Methanotrichaceae fam. nov. In: Anonymous NN (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2020, p. 1-2.
  • Nomenclatural type of the order Methanotrichales Akinyemi et al. 2021. Publication: Akinyemi TS, Shao N, Whitman WB. Methanotrichales ord. nov. In: Anonymous NN (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematics of Archaea and Bacteria., John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2021, p. 1-2.
  • Yilmaz et al. (2014) assigned this genus to the family "Methanotrichaceae" Oren 2014. Publication: Yilmaz P, Parfrey LW, Yarza P, Gerken J, Pruesse E, Quast C, Schweer T, Peplies J, Ludwig W, Glöckner FO. The SILVA and “all-species living tree project (LTP)” taxonomic frameworks. Nucleic Acids Research 2014; 42(D1):D643-D648.
  • The type species of this genus has alternatively been placed in the genus Methanosaeta Patel and Sprott 1990. Publication: Patel GB, Sprott GD. Methanosaeta concilii gen. nov., sp. nov. ("Methanothrix concilii") and Methanosaeta thermoacetophila nom. rev., comb. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1990; 40:79-82.
  • This taxon name is occasionally misprinted in some sources as: "Mehtanothrix"; "Methanothrixa".
  • Minimal standards for the description of new taxa in this group were published in 1988. Publication: Boone DR, Whitman WB. Proposal of Minimal Standards for Describing New Taxa of Methanogenic Bacteria. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1988; 38:212-219.
  • Minimal standards for the description of new taxa in this group were published in 1988. Publication: D.r. Boone WBW. Proposal of Minimal Standards for Describing New Taxa of Methanogenic Bacteria. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 1988; 38:212-219.
  • The BRCs most frequently used for deposits in this group are: DSM: 6; JCM: 3; VKM: 2; NBRC: 1; ATCC: 1; CGMCC: 1.
  • Illegitimate, not based on pure culture IJSB 40:79; objection: IJSB 41:588; Methanothrix is not to be considered as rejected name (Supplementary information to Opinion 75, Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes, IJSEM 64:3597–3598). Publication: Tindall BJ. The genus name Methanothrix Huser et al. 1983 and the species combination Methanothrix soehngenii Huser et al. 1983 do not contravene Rule 31a and are not to be considered as rejected names, the genus name Methanosaeta Patel and Sprott 1990 refers to the same taxon as Methanothrix soehngenii Huser et al. 1983 and the species combination Methanothrix thermophila Kamagata et al. 1992 is rejected: Supplementary information to Opinion 75. Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2014; 64:3597-3598.
  • Pittman et al. (1991) suggested the abbreviation "METX" for this genus name but this does not appear to be of practical relevance any longer. Publication: Pittman KF, Walczak CA, Lock CM. Codes and abbreviations for approved of effectively published names of genera of bacteria published from January 1980 to December 1990. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1991; 41:571-579.
  • In a Request for an Opinion, Boone 1991 proposed that strain GP6 (= NRC 2989 = ATCC 35969 = DSM 3671 = OCM 69), the type strain of Methanosaeta (Methanothrix) concilii, be adopted as the neotype of Methanothrix soehngenii. This would have the effect of reducing Methanosaeta (Methanothrix) concilii to a synonym, rendering it invalid. Patel 1992 has published a counterargument to this proposal. The Judicial Commission concluded that the interests of clarity and stability would be served best by denying the Request for an Opinion. Strain GP6 remains the type of Methanosaeta (Methanothrix) concilii; there does not appear to be an extant type strain for Methanothrix soehngenii, which remains a species of doubtful validity. Consequently, the genus Methanothrix remains a genus of doubtful validity. Publication: Boone DR. Strain GP6 is proposed as the neotype strain of Methanothrix soehngeniiVP pro synon. Methanothrix conciliiVP and Methanosaeta conciliiVP. Request for an Opinion. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1991; 41:588-589.
  • See the file Some problems with the genera Methanothrix and Methanosaeta. — The type strain of Methanothrix soehngenii Huser et al. 1983 is contaminated by two morphologically distinct bacteria. According to the "old Rule 31a" (i.e. before January 2001), Methanothrix soehngenii is invalid. Consequently, the genus Methanothrix did not have nomenclatural standing. Publication: Patel GB, Sprott GD. Methanosaeta concilii gen. nov., sp. nov. ("Methanothrix concilii") and Methanosaeta thermoacetophila nom. rev., comb. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1990; 40:79-82.

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 3
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 5
Total number of child taxa: 8

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    Methanothrix concilii Patel 1985	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Methanothrix harundinacea (Ma et al. 2006) Akinyemi et al. 2021	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Candidatus Methanothrix paradoxa" corrig. Angle et al. 2017	not validly published
    "Candidatus Methanothrix paradoxum" Angle et al. 2017	inaccurate spelling
    Methanothrix soehngenii Huser et al. 1983	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Methanothrix thermoacetophila corrig. Nozhevnikova and Chudina 1988	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Methanothrix thermoacetophilia Nozhevnikova and Chudina 1988	inaccurate spelling	misspelling
    Methanothrix thermophila Kamagata et al. 1992	validly published under the ICNP, rejected name	synonym

Parent taxon: Methanosaetaceae Boone et al. 2002

Assigned by: Boone DR, Whitman WB, Koga Y. Family II. Methanosaetaceae fam. nov. In: Boone DR, Castenholz RW, Garrity GM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 2nd edn, vol. 1 (The Archaea and the Deeply Branching and Phototrophic Bacteria), Springer, New York, 2001, p. 289-294.

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Record number: 517085