Name: Aquaspirillum serpens (Müller 1786) Hylemon et al. 1973 (Approved Lists 1980)

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Vibrio serpens" Müller 1786

Etymology: ser’pens. L. masc./fem. n. serpens, creeping, crawling; from L. v. serpo; L. fem. n. Serpens, snake also possible (nominative in apposition)

Pronunciation, gender: … SER-pens, neuter

Type strain: ATCC 12368; ATCC 12638; CCUG 2092; CIP 63.19; DSM 68; DSM 9156; IFO 14924; JCM 20995; LMG 3734; NBRC 14924; NCTC 10593

See detailed strain information at

Conduct genome-based taxonomy at

16S rRNA gene: AB074518 Analyse FASTA

Effective publication: Hylemon PB, Wells Jr. JS, Krieg NR, Jannasch HW. The genus Spirillum: A taxonomic study. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1973; 23:340-380.

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 (and explicitly recommended for medical use)

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    "Vibrio serpens" Müller 1786	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Emendations:
  • Boivin et al. 1985 Boivin MF, Morris VL, Lee-Chan ECM, Murray RGE. Deoxyribonucleic acid relatedness between selected members of the genus Aquaspirillum by slot blot hybridization: Aquaspirillum serpens (Mueller 1786) Hylemon, Wells, Krieg, and Jannasch 1973 emended to include Aquaspirillum bengal as a subjective synonym. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1985; 35:512-517.
    Notes:
    • 🫂 Emendation accompanied by a proposal regarding the synonymy of the species.

• Notes:
  • 🥇 Nomenclatural type of the genus Aquaspirillum Hylemon et al. 1973 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Hylemon PB, Wells Jr. JS, Krieg NR, Jannasch HW. The genus Spirillum: A taxonomic study. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1973; 23:340-380.
  • ⏰ According to Boivin et al. (1985), this species is an earlier heterotypic synonym of Aquaspirillum bengal Kumar et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Boivin MF, Morris VL, Lee-Chan ECM, Murray RGE. Deoxyribonucleic acid relatedness between selected members of the genus Aquaspirillum by slot blot hybridization: Aquaspirillum serpens (Mueller 1786) Hylemon, Wells, Krieg, and Jannasch 1973 emended to include Aquaspirillum bengal as a subjective synonym. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 1985; 35:512-517.
  • ⏰ According to Brenner et al. (2005), this species is not an earlier heterotypic synonym of Aquaspirillum bengal Kumar et al. 1974 (Approved Lists 1980). Publication: Pot B, Gillis M. Genus III. Aquaspirillum Hylemon, Wells, Krieg and Jannasch 1973b, 361AL. In: Brenner DJ, Krieg NR, Staley JT, Garrity GM (eds), Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, second edition, vol. 2 (The Proteobacteria), part C (The Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Epsilonproteobacteria), Springer, New York, 2005, p. 801-823. 🇺🇸
  • 😷 The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "Animal classification RG: 1 - Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No - Containment level: Containment Level 1". — The risk group for Swiss Confederation has been imported on 2024-02-01. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2023-10-29. The full classification is: risk group = 1. — If in doubt, use the risk group given in the regulations for your country and, if these are not available, use the risk group given in the catalogue of the culture collection from which you have obtained or intend to obtain the strain.
  • 🎓 Name mentioned 22 times in PubMed until 2025-06-04.
  • 🙆 This name is on the List of Recommended Names for bacteria of medical importance (LoRN) as the name to be applied to this species. The name is on LoRN because of the recorded risk group of the genus.
  • 🧍 The genome of the type strain was sequenced as part of the GEBA (Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea) project. Publication: Mukherjee S, Seshadri R, Varghese NJ, Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Goker M, Coates RC, Hadjithomas M, Pavlopoulos GA, Paez-Espino D, et al. 1,003 reference genomes of bacterial and archaeal isolates expand coverage of the tree of life. Nat Biotechnol 2017; 35:676-683. 🇺🇸

Subdivision:

Number of child taxa with a validly published and correct name: 0
Number of child taxa with a validly published name, including synonyms: 0
Total number of child taxa: 2

• Child taxa:

  • Name	Nomenclatural status	Taxonomic status
    "Aquaspirillum serpens subsp. bengal" (Kumar et al. 1974) Pot and Gillis 2005	not validly published	synonym
    "Aquaspirillum serpens subsp. serpens" (Müller 1786) Pot and Gillis 2005	not validly published	synonym of its species

Parent taxon: Aquaspirillum Hylemon et al. 1973 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Hylemon PB, Wells Jr. JS, Krieg NR, Jannasch HW. The genus Spirillum: A taxonomic study. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1973; 23:340-380.

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Record number: 773338