Name: Spirochaetales Buchanan 1917 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Order

Proposed as: ord. nov.

Etymology: N.L. fem. n. Spirochaeta, type genus of the order; L. fem. pl. n. suff. -ales, ending to denote an order; N.L. fem. pl. n. Spirochaetales, the Spirochaeta order

Gender: feminine

Type genus: Spirochaeta Ehrenberg 1835 (Approved Lists 1980)

Effective publication: Buchanan RE. Studies in the Nomenclature and Classification of the Bacteria: II. The Primary Subdivisions of the Schizomycetes. J Bacteriol 1917; 2:155-164.

IJSEM list: Skerman VBD, McGowan V, Sneath PHA. Approved lists of bacterial names. Int J Syst Bacteriol 1980; 30:225-420.

Nomenclatural status: validly published under the ICNP

Taxonomic status: correct name

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Borreliales Chuvochina et al. 2024	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    Sphaerochaetales Chuvochina et al. 2024	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    "Winmispirales" Podosokorskaya et al. 2025	heterotypic synonym, not validly published
    Treponematales Chuvochina et al. 2024	heterotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP

• Emendations:
  • Gupta et al. 2013 Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M. A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:217. Oren A, Garrity GM. List of changes in taxonomic opinion no. 19. Notification of changes in taxonomic opinion previously published outside the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2014; 64:8-10.
    Notes:
    • ⊕ Emendation accompanied by the inclusion of 2 families in the order.
    • ⊖ Emendation accompanied by the removal of 2 families from the order.
  • Hördt et al. 2020 Hordt A, Lopez MG, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Schleuning M, Weinhold LM, Tindall BJ, Gronow S, Kyrpides NC, Woyke T, Goker M. Analysis of 1,000+ Type-Strain Genomes Substantially Improves Taxonomic Classification of Alphaproteobacteria. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:468. 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 3 families in the order.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the class "Spirochaetia" Cavalier-Smith 2020. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T, Chao EE. Multidomain ribosomal protein trees and the planctobacterial origin of neomura (eukaryotes, archaebacteria). Protoplasma 2020; 257:621-753.
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the class Spirochaetes Cavalier-Smith 2002. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:7-76.
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the division "Spirochaetae" Cavalier-Smith 2002. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:7-76.
  • 🧕 Bergey et al. (1923) assigned this order to the class Schizomycetes Nägeli 1857 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Waksman SA. Genus III. Actinomyces Harz,. In: Bergey DH, Harrison FC, Breed RS, Hammer BW, Huntoon FM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 1st ed., The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1923, p. 339-371.
  • 🧕 Breed et al. (1944) assigned this order to the class Schizomycetes Nägeli 1857 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Breed RS, Murray EG, Hitchens AP. THE OUTLINE CLASSIFICATION USED IN THE BERGEY MANUAL OF DETERMINATIVE BACTERIOLOGY. Bacteriol Rev 1944; 8:255-260.
  • 🧕 Breed et al. (1948) assigned this order to the class Schizomycetes Nägeli 1857 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Burkholder WH. Genus I. Pseudomonas Migula. Bacterial plant pathogens. In: Breed RS, Murray EGD, Hitchens AP (eds), Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 6th ed., The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1948, p. 82-150.
  • 🧕 Breed et al. (1957) assigned this order to the class Schizomycetes Nägeli 1857 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Parker CD. Genus V. Thiobacillus Beijerinck 1904. In: Breed RS, Murray EGD, Smith NR (eds), Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 7th edition, The Williams & Wilkins Co, Baltimore, 1957, p. 83-88.
  • 🧕 Cavalier-Smith (2002) assigned this order to the class Spirochaetes Cavalier-Smith 2002. Publication: Cavalier-Smith T. The neomuran origin of archaebacteria, the negibacterial root of the universal tree and bacterial megaclassification. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2002; 52:7-76.
  • 🧕 Gupta et al. (2013) assigned this order to the domain "Bacteria" Woese et al. 1990. Publication: Gupta RS, Mahmood S, Adeolu M. A phylogenomic and molecular signature based approach for characterization of the phylum Spirochaetes and its major clades: proposal for a taxonomic revision of the phylum. Front Microbiol 2013; 4:217.
  • 🧒 Boone et al. (2001) assigned the family Leptospiraceae Hovind-Hougen 1979 (Approved Lists 1980) to this order. Publication: Garrity GM, Holt JG. The Road Map to the Manual. In: Boone DR, Castenholz RW, Garrity GM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, second edition, vol. 1 (The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria), Springer-Verlag, New York, 2001, p. 119-166.
  • 🧒 Boone et al. (2001) assigned the family "Serpulinaceae" to this order. Publication: Garrity GM, Holt JG. The Road Map to the Manual. In: Boone DR, Castenholz RW, Garrity GM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, second edition, vol. 1 (The Archaea and the deeply branching and phototrophic Bacteria), Springer-Verlag, New York, 2001, p. 119-166.
  • 🧒 Buchanan (1917) assigned the genus Spirochaeta Ehrenberg 1835 (Approved Lists 1980) to this order. Publication: Buchanan RE. Studies in the Nomenclature and Classification of the Bacteria: II. The Primary Subdivisions of the Schizomycetes. J Bacteriol 1917; 2:155-164.
  • 🧒 Krieg et al. (2010) assigned the family Brevinemataceae Paster 2012 to this order. Publication: Paster BJ. Family III. Brevinemataceae fam. 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. 545.
  • 🧒 Krieg et al. (2010) assigned the family Brachyspiraceae Paster 2012 to this order. Publication: Paster BJ. Family II. Brachyspiraceae. 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. 531.
  • 🧒 Wier et al. (2000) assigned the family "Pillotineaceae" to this order. Publication: Wier A, Ashen J, Margulis L. Canaleparolina darwiniensis, gen. nov., sp. nov., and other pillotinaceous spirochetes from insects. Int Microbiol 2000; 3:213-223.
  • 🧒 Yilmaz et al. (2014) assigned the genus Exilispira Imachi et al. 2008 to this order. 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.
  • 🙄 This taxon name is occasionally misprinted (or affected by an OCR error) in some sources as: "Sphirochaetales"; "Spirachaecales"; "Spirclchaetales"; "Spirocbaetales"; "Spirochaefales"; "Spirochaeiales"; "Spirochaelales"; "Spirochaerales"; "Spirochcetales"; "Spirochctales"; "Spirocherales"; "Spirochnetales"; "Spirochoetales"; "Spirochsetales"; "Spirochuetales"; "Spirocliactales".
  • 🎰 The BRCs most frequently used for deposits in this group are: DSM: 121; ATCC: 88; JCM: 40; CIP: 27; KCTC: 11; VKM: 7; BR: 5; NBRC: 5; NCCB: 5; NCTC: 5.
  • 🧍 See also Buchanan (1918). Publication: Buchanan RE. Studies in the Nomenclature and Classification of the Bacteria: X. Subgroups and Genera of the Myxobacteriales and Spirochaetales. J Bacteriol 1918; 3:541-545.

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 5
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 11
Total number of child taxa: 14

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    Alkalispirochaetaceae Chuvochina et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Borreliaceae Gupta et al. 2014	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Breznakiellaceae Brune et al. 2022	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Marispirochaetaceae Chuvochina et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    "Pillotinaceae" Margulis and Hinkle 1992	not validly published	synonym
    Rectinemataceae Brune et al. 2022	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Salinispiraceae Chuvochina et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Sediminispirochaetaceae Chuvochina et al. 2024	validly published under the ICNP	synonym
    Sphaerochaetaceae Bidzhieva et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP, illegitimate name	synonym
    Sphaerochaetaceae Hördt et al. 2020	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    Spirochaetaceae Swellengrebel 1907 (Approved Lists 1980)	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Termitinemataceae" Song et al. 2021	not validly published	preferred name
    Treponemataceae Robinson 1948 (Approved Lists 1980)	validly published under the ICNP	correct name
    "Winmispiraceae" Podosokorskaya et al. 2025	not validly published	synonym

Parent taxon: Spirochaetia Paster 2020

Assigned by: Paster BJ. Class I. Spirochaetia class. nov. In: Krieg NR, Staley JT, Brown DR, Hedlund BP, Paster BJ, et al. (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. The Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Tenericutes (Mollicutes), Acidobacteria, Fibrobacteres, Fusobacteria, Dictyoglomi, Gemmatimonadetes, Lentisphaerae, Verrucomicrobia, Chlamydiae, and Planctomycetes, vol. 4, 2nd ed., Springer, New York, 2010, p. 471-563.

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Record number: 5028