Name: "Chlorobium clathratiforme" (Szafer 1910) Imhoff 2003

Category: Species

Proposed as: comb. nov.

Basonym: "Aphanothece clathratiformis" Szafer 1910

Etymology: cla.thra.ti.for’me. L. neut. adj. suff. -forme, having the form of; N.L. neut. adj. clathratiforme, lattice-like

Pronunciation (Latin), gender: k^hlo-RO-bi-um kla-t^hra-ti-FOR-me, neuter

Nomenclatural type: no pure culture

Original publication: Imhoff JF. Phylogenetic taxonomy of the family Chlorobiaceae on the basis of 16S rRNA and fmo (Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein) gene sequences. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2003; 53:941-951. 🇩🇪

IJSEM list: Euzeby JP. Notification list. Notification that new names and new combinations have appeared in volume 53, part 4 of the IJSEM. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2003; 53:1703-1705.

Nomenclatural status: not validly published

Taxonomic status: synonym (and no standing)

Correct name: Pelodictyon clathratiforme (Szafer 1910) Lauterborn 1913 (Approved Lists 1980)

Risk group: 1

• Synonyms:

  • Name	Kind
    Pelodictyon clathratiforme (Szafer 1910) Lauterborn 1913 (Approved Lists 1980)	homotypic synonym, validly published under the ICNP
    "Aphanothece clathratiformis" Szafer 1910	homotypic synonym, not validly published, basonym of name in Approved Lists

• Notes:
  • 😩 Deposit incorrectly indicated in some sources as representing the type strain of this taxon: DSM 5477.
  • 📧 The e-mail address of the corresponding author given in the effective publication is not functional any more.
  • 😷 The risk group for Canada has been imported on 2024-02-27. The full classification is: risk group = 1, note = "Security sensitive biological agent: No - Terrestrial animal pathogen under Canadian Food Inspection Agency authority: No". — The risk group for Germany has been imported on 2026-08-13. 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.
  • 🧍 Considered not validly published because, at the time of publication, the type strain was not deposited in two publicly accessible service collections in different countries. Publication: Oren A, Arahal DR, Christensen H, Goker M, Manaia CM, Moore ERB. International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. Prokaryotic Code (2025 Revision). Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2026; 76:6979. 🇮🇱
  • 🧍 DSM 5477 hardly grows and for this reason is not currently in the public catalogue of DSMZ. — Thiel V. Personal communication, 2020-05-04.
  • 🧍 The phylogenetic position of this species was determined in a genome-scale analysis by García-López et al. (2019). 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. 🇩🇪
  • 🧍 The phylogenetic position of this species was determined in a genome-scale analysis by Hahnke et al. (2016). Publication: Hahnke RL, Meier-Kolthoff JP, Garcia-Lopez M, Mukherjee S, Huntemann M, Ivanova NN, Woyke T, Kyrpides NC, Klenk HP, Goker M. Genome-Based Taxonomic Classification of Bacteroidetes. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:2003. 🇩🇪
  • 🧍 According to Rules 27(3) and 30, Chlorobium clathratiforme (Szafer 1911) Imhoff 2003 is not validly published because, at the time of publication, the type strain (BU 1 = DSM 5477) was not deposited in two publicly accessible service collections in different countries. An additional problem arises because BU 1 = DSM 5477 is the type strain of another species, Pelodictyon phaeoclathratiforme Overmann and Pfennig 1990. As for the deposition of the type strain, according to the Judicial Opinion 81, authors or this name, or other scientists who wish to have this name validly published, should submit evidence of the deposit of the type strain in additional collections to the List Editor (either directly or via the IJSEM Editorial Office) before the next meeting of the Judicial Commission in Sapporo, Japan, in 2011. After that time, the name will be ruled not to have been validly published. If, after that deadline, the authors or other scientists wish to have this name validly published, this may be done by confirming that the name is in accordance with the requirements of the Code and either by requesting valid publication via the Validation Lists or by inclusion of the proposal in an original article in the IJSEM. The details of valid publication will then make reference to those publications. If authors or other scientists feel that an exception should be granted to Rule 30, requiring deposit of the type in two different collections in two different countries, they should contact the Editorial Office of the IJSEM. Publication: Euzeby JP, Tindall BJ. Status of strains that contravene Rules 27(3) and 30 of the Bacteriological Code. Request for an opinion. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2004; 54:293-301. 🇫🇷
  • 🧍 J.F. Imhoff wrote "The 16S rDNA sequences of Pelodictyon clathratiforme PG and Pelodictyon phaeoclathratiforme DSM 5477T are almost identical, and closely related to those of 'Chlorobium ferrooxidans' and Chlorobium phaeobacteroides. As already proposed (Imhoff, 1999), both species are transferred to the genus Chlorobium. Because Pelodictyon clathratiforme is the type species of the genus Pelodictyon, all members of the genus must be transferred to another genus. Because the different pigmentation, which was the main distinguishing feature between Pelodictyon clathratiforme and Pelodictyon phaeoclathratiforme, has been disregarded as a species-determinative property, and due to 16S rDNA sequence identity and lack of a type culture of Pelodictyon clathratiforme, it is proposed to combine both species to consider strain DSM 5477T as the type strain of Chlorobium clathratiforme comb. nov." Pelodictyon clathratiforme has the older epithet but it is not represented by a type - so if it is not represented by a type one should use Rule 18f to designate a type strain. If strain PG is taken to be "representative" then this may become the type strain (if it is deposited in two culture collections in different countries) and it remains the type if Pelodictyon clathratiforme and Pelodictyon phaeoclathratiforme are combined. Consequently, the proposal by Imhoff is not in accordance with the rules of the ICNP. Publication: Imhoff JF. Phylogenetic taxonomy of the family Chlorobiaceae on the basis of 16S rRNA and fmo (Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein) gene sequences. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2003; 53:941-951. 🇩🇪

Parent taxon: Chlorobium Nadson 1906 (Approved Lists 1980)

Assigned by: Imhoff JF. Phylogenetic taxonomy of the family Chlorobiaceae on the basis of 16S rRNA and fmo (Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein) gene sequences. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2003; 53:941-951. 🇩🇪

Linking: To permanently link to this page, use https://doi.org/10.83108/rn.783636Copy to clipboardLink copied to clipboard

Record number: 783636

• Previous versions:

  • Version	Date	JSON
    1	2026-03-31